How does an unscrupulous wine broker make more money?
If you’re Andrew Hashin of Rivers Wine in Australia, you do it by selling Chardonnay juice, but diluting it with juice from Sultana grapes – which cost about a fourth as much as Chardonnay grapes.
Among Hashin’s clients were Aussie wine giants Hardy’s and Orlando.
Hashin was convicted on 34 counts as the result of an investigation by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, and his company has been liquidated. Fines levied amount to more than 300,000 Australian dollars.
There’s only one catch: Hashim is now bankrupt and can’t pay the fines.
