‘Beverage’ taken off market

Press, 23 October 1980, Page 4

‘Beverage’ taken off market

Casks and bottles of a variety of the drink, Brother Dominic, have been withdrawn from Sale by the manufacturer,. .Montana Wines. Ltd. Mr G. Stormont, the firm’s chief executive, confirmed this yesterday. However, he declined to say Why the product, which is not labelled as a wine but as a mediumwhite alcoholic beverage, had been taken off the market. “The only thing I am prepared to say is that we have made a decision to relinquish the product , and we are taking back stocks which ate being held," said Mr Stormont from Auckland.

“Basically, the firm is withdrawing the product voluntarily, because if it did not, we would possibly have to ask it to take it off the market," said Mr R. Eades/ptin-

cipai inspector of the Health Department at Auckland. “The reason is that this type of Brother Dominic is rather an anomaly in that it is not a wine but contains a preservative. iWnes may contain the substance but the product does not qualify as a wine under the new regulations,” Mr Eades said. The product -was certainly not. dangerous to health. The problem was more of a legal subtlety. The variety of Brother Dominic classed as a flavoured wine under the regulations was not breaching any laws and could remain on the market, Mr Eades said. Montana Wines had not noticed the breach of law when first producing the line not classed as a wine, and the firm had been most co-opera-tive when it realised the breach, he said.