Online Scams in Napa

Counterfeit and Gray Market Wine Sales

Napa Valley's premium wine reputation—particularly for Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap District and Oakville appellations—has generated a secondary market for counterfeit and mislabeled bottles. Fraudulent bottles purporting to be cult Napa wines (Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate) circulate through restaurant secondary markets and online resellers. Some wine shops along First Street in downtown Napa have sold gray market bottles with fraudulent vintage dates or blended lesser wines in premium bottles.