Tiny Bubbles on the Wine Bottle

Santa Barbara, CA, August 25, 2011 --(PR.com)-- We buy wine in the spirit of exploring, with trust in our instincts and in the reputation of the winemaker. But what if somebody is playing a dirty game? According to some wine industry authorities, literally millions of counterfeit wines in “properly” labeled bottles are sold every year.

Tudor Wines, a highly-praised boutique maker of California pinot noirs is joining with a handful of other top-flight winemakers to embrace a technology-driven solution to guarantee for loyal customers the authenticity of their wines.

Tudor Wines, with their ratings of 90 points and upward, have penetrated both domestic and foreign markets. In some Asian locales, Tudor pinots command as much as $500 a bottle. This provides strong temptation for anyone with access to green bottles, printing technology, and red fluids.

Fortunately, no counterfeit Tudor wines have yet been reported. However, to stay ahead of potential problems, the Central Coast-based winemaker has joined a growing number of high-end winemakers – including Chateau Montelena, Blankiet Estates, Clos de la Roche, Canon la Gaffeliere and Louis Latour – in the use of a high-tech device called the Bubble Tag Authentication Seal.

Beginning with their shipments to Asia, but soon on all foreign and domestic shipments, each bottle of Tudor pinot noir will hit the stores bearing a tamper-proof device about one square centimeter in size. This tag will display a unique pattern of micro-bubbles. Using a computer or a smartphone app, buyers will be able to quickly and easily authenticate each bottle online. The Bubble Seal is a trademarked product of a French company called Prooftag, where it was a lucky byproduct of polymers research in 1999, but required five more years of development before it could be deployed on wine and other consumer goods.

Of course, the more popular or prestigious a winemaker is, the more likely it is that counterfeiters will be tempted to fake their goods. Which is why Tudor and other winemakers are opting to join the vanguard of protection, to make sure every bottle of you open of their wine is the indisputable real thing.

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