In the United Kindom, four wine merchants have been sentenced to jail terms of up to four an a half years.

A British court found the four guilty of fraud, they were accused of having defrauded investors with supposedly valuable wines. The merchants had focussed on US investors who were buying mainly basic wines such as Bordeaux Supérieur from them, and were tempted by the promises of quick profits on their investment. The damages come to a total of 1 million pounds sterling, with a quarter of this amount coming from a single, obviously enthusiastic American investor. The sentences vary from one to four and a half years in prison. (WF)