According to law half-fermented wine can be sold only from the beginning of August to the end of November. As in previous years also this year the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority carried out inspections aimed at this beverage in the course of the whole period. Inspectors controlled not only hygiene of sale and documents about origin of half-fermented wine, but also whether the beverage is correctly labelled at the stand, mainly if producer is visibly stated.

Inspectors also took samples to laboratories, in total 55 samples were analyzed this year, of which 46 samples of half-fermented wine and 9 samples of partially fermented grape must which differs from the half-fermented wine by the only fact that it was not made of inland grapes. Laboratory analyses revealed in total ten adulterated half-fermented wines. Apart from the unauthorized ‘baptizing with water’, which lied in unsatisfying samples in the range from 47 to 76 per cent of water, also five samples were revealed in which synthetic dyes were used in contradiction with regulations. By their adding one can produce from white half-fermented wine the red one or conceal by their means baptizing with water in case of red half-fermented wines. Moreover, all samples containing synthetic dyes came from one producer, company E.S.E. s. r. o. from Miroslav. At one sample from a different company it was confirmed by means of laboratory analysis that grapes of which the sample was made, did not come from the Czech Republic, although the salesperson declared the beverage as half-fermented wine.

“Contrary to last year when we revealed baptized half-fermented wine only seven times, this year is a bad surprise”, stated Martin Klanica, authorized to deputize the Director General. „We have not faced synthetic dyeing of half-fermented wine so far, in three cases the operators were not able to substantiate from whom they had bought half-fermented wine, some operators even tried to deny. However, they should know that this action counts against them. “