The San Francisco Chronicle reports that federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment accusing senior figures at Southern Glazer’s, the largest alcohol distributor in the US, of running a long-running bribery scheme tied to supermarket wine placements in California. Prosecutors allege the scheme, said to span 2016 to 2024, involved bribes to an Albertsons wine buyer, including luxury trips, cash, gift cards and electronics, with false paperwork used to disguise payments as legitimate marketing spend. Five Southern Glazer’s executives and a Napa winery salesman were indicted, and the retailer’s buyer has reportedly already pleaded guilty.
Legal
-
Uncorking a Scandal: Master Sommelier Lawsuit Heads to Trial
Reuters reports that three candidates who briefly held the Master Sommelier title in 2018 are suing the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas after the organisation voided the tasting exam over cheating allegations, with a five day jury trial scheduled later this year in San Francisco federal court. The article says the dispute centres on an email sent just before the blind tasting, containing shorthand that could be read as tips, and argues the case has become a referendum on due process and the credibility of one of fine wine’s key gatekeepers, with fewer than 300 Master Sommeliers worldwide.