The 'Pinotgate' scandal, allegedly involving 18 million bottles of fake Pinot Noir from the Languedoc, was 'a disaster' for Californian company Gallo, it has admitted. In a wide-ranging interview in the November issue of Decanter magazine Gina Gallo says the company was embarrassed by the incident, which drew wide condemnation from the international media. Whilst defending the company’s standards for wine production, Gallo accepts the criticism for failing to notice that the fake wine contained Merlot and Syrah.