Legal fight erupts between Nevada wine sellers

Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2000 | 10:45 a.m.

A liquor wholesaler is seeking a court order to stop a Las Vegas wine retailer from infringing on the wholesaler's alleged exclusive right to import and distribute certain wines in Nevada.

In a Clark County District court lawsuit, American Mart Corp. doing business as DeLuca Liquor & Wine Ltd. sued Riedel Fine Wines of Las Vegas Inc., alleging it did not "legitimately acquire (the) liquor products from the suppliers" and that the products at issue were acquired through the "gray market" and are "counterfeit."

Clark Riedel, the owner of Riedel Fine Wines, disputed American Mart's claims. "We carry only old vintages ... American Mart doesn't carry old vintages."

"The retailers and restaurants may have acquired our wines abroad and brought them into Nevada through other sources," Riedel said. "We have a company based in California that imports wines into America. And since we sell wines to more than 10 states nationwide, these products could have ended up in Nevada through many other sources."

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