THE "WINE KIT" AFFAIR: EUROPE HAS THE BIGGEST E-COMMERCE SITES FROM AMAZON TO EBAY IN THEIR TARGETS. THE EU DECLARES "WAR" ON E COMMERCE GIANTS THAT ARE SELLING "DO IT YOURSELF" WINE KITS AND VIOLATING EU RULES AGAINST FAKES AND IMITATIONS

The "Wine Kit" Affair: Europe has the biggest e-commerce sites from Amazon to Ebay in their targets. The EU has declared "war” on them because they are violating all EU rules against imitations and fakes, and selling "do it yourself" wine kits, masquerading them as Prosecco, Amarone and Valpolicella, creating serious marketing and image damage to Italian producers, as well as deceive consumers. Brussels has formally requested the Member States involved to take measures against them."

Mara Bizzotto, member of the European Parliament (Lega Nord) published the this reply that the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Ciolos, gave to his questioning on the case of fake wines sold on the major e-commerce sites in the world.

For example: for US$87.08 you can buy a wine kit on Amazon that produces "Italian Prosecco".
The label reads, “In six weeks and without the addition of water you will produce 23 liters”. Bizzotto therefore warns Amazon and Ebay to " immediately withdraw the false Prosecco, Amarone and Valpolicella, made with unlikely mixtures of powders, chemicals and oak chips from online commerce, otherwise heavy fines and various measures will start coming in thick and fast”. Last November, the MEP also reported another story of fake wines in powder "made in Sweden and Canada, before being sold as Italian in England. It was the Italian TV show "Striscia la Notizia" that exposed them”.

In that case, the European Commission asked the UK authorities to immediately prohibit sales. Bizzotto responds, “The new policy taken by Brussels for the protection of PDO and PGI wines is the confirmation that the EU Commission is trying to end the sale of these colossal" “fakes” both on supermarket shelves and on the web”.