Reusing prestigious wine bottles

China's booming wine market has created an astounding demand for empty bottles of famous wines, with fraudsters paying up to £300 for a good bottle that can be filled with a less celebrated vintage. Counterfeiters have begun collecting empty bottles and then refilling them to scam rich Chinese. A particular favourite is Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982, which sells for over £2,000 an intact bottle at auction...

Mr Huang said his firm collected empties from bars and restaurants in Shanghai and Beijing and that the run-up to Chinese New Year, in February, was peak season, as counterfeiters targeted wine lovers looking to celebrate in style... In the past year China has become the world's fastest-growing wine market with legions of millionaires anxious to appear sophisticated...

The story brings back some pleasant memories. Three of my college roommates worked their way through school as bartenders.  One of the perks of the jobs was that they were often allowed to take the nearly-empty bottles at the end of parties, which we would then finish emptying back at the dorm and refill with the cheapest possible liquor from local discount stores.  Then, when we later hosted our own parties, schoolmates would act sophisticated by saying "Ah... Johnny Walker Black Label... you can always tell a fine whisky."  Or not.  We knew better.

Via Nothing to do with Arbroath.