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Hualien County probes `fake' wine

Eighteen visitors and a number of Aboriginal seniors reportedly suffered temporary loss of vision and other problems after drinking rice wine at different Harvest Festivals in Hualien, leading to complaints that they had been served bootleg liquor.

Responding to the complaints, the Hualien County Government's health department and other agencies have confiscated 12 bottles of bootleg rice wine made by four different rice wine manufacturers.

The bottles were sent to the Hualien County Health Department yesterday for laboratory tests to see whether they contain methanol or other toxins. The test results were expected to be released before noon today.

Investigators said yesterday that the moonshine may have been bottled in old rice wine bottles.

Lin Chiu-mei (林秋美), health services chief of Yuli (玉里) Township said that the caps of the 12 bottles sold to the Lehe tribe were loosely attached, causing grave concern.

Lin said the labels on the 12 bottles simply carried the name and phone number of the alleged manufacturer, but no address, causing him to suspect that industrial alcohol might have been used to make bootleg rice wine.

A local wine agent, identified by his surname Lai, said that he sells rice wine for NT$130 a bottle, but the 12 bottles confiscated by officials had been sold for NT$130 per half-dozen.

He said someone might have recycled bottles from his store to make fake rice wine.

Hualien County Councilor Yeh Chih-sheng (葉志生) said unscrupulous people may use the annual Aboriginal Cultural Festival as an opportunity to sell fake wine. Yeh demanded that the local government initiate an all-out effort to clamp down on this type of criminal activity.

To avoid buying fake wine, consumers should purchase it from legal retailers and check if the labels on the bottles are clear and intact, officials said. Consumers should be cautious of any liquor sold at an unreasonably low price, they said.
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