Spurious Champagne in Paris Restaurants.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 40, 8 March 1884, Page 5

Spurious Champagne in Paris Restaurants.

Messrs Moet and Ciiandon have (Paris, Nov. 29) obtained judgment against the proprietor of a Paris restaurant, M. Gamier, for palming off upon his customei's an inferior wine, for that of the famous Epinay merchants. M. Gamier has been sentenced to fifteen days' imprisonment, a fine of LSO, payment to the plaintiffs of L4OO damages, and the obligation to insert a statement of the judgment in ten newspapers. The device employed to take in the consumer a\ as very clever. The spurious liquid was served in bottles closely resembling Messrs Moet's, and bearing their labels. This, however, was not all. In order to deceive the sharpest customer, the waiter, when he drew a cork, substituted, by a dexterous movement a Moet's cork for the one in the bottle, which, of course, he abstracted. According to the evidence of a waiter who has turned approver this was called making champagne a la cle, and an indispensable qualification of waiters employed at this establishment was the ability to " deboucher le Moct." The real value of the liquor sold as the genuine wine was not more than 15 pence a bottle. M. Gamier, the defendant, pleaded " nnr oncnivaise inspiration," which he regretted. The practice was detected by some young men sent by Messrs Moet to sup at the restaurant. They took with them a genuine bottle of champagne, and when the waiter's back was turned substituted it for the one served, which they brought away as a piece de conviction. — " London Standard.''