While oenophiles usually do their best to source wine from reputable dealers, there will always be a market for fakers trying to profit from the high prices commanded by the likes of Lafleur, Latour and Petrus.

According to Ed Soon of the Malaysia Star, wineries have come up with all kinds of clever ways to ensure their produce can be authenticated - from chateau Petrus, which uses label codes only visible under ultraviolet light, to chateau Margaux which has laser-etched serial codes.

Additionally, scientists in France have proposed using a particle accelerator to measure the radiation emitted by a bottle of wine.

Spain has come up with a probe called the Electronic Tongue, which is apparently capable of distinguishing between grape varieties and years of vintage.

Last month, Tesco was left red-faced after unwittingly selling two fake bottles of the white Burgundy Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse to an expert customer.