State regulators issue warnings about Eldon wine
State regulators are warning consumers to watch out for certain types of bottled wine from a local manufacturer that might explode.
The Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control said bottles of Casa de Loco’s Applesauced, Bellini Gold, Coming in Hot, Kona Lover Port, OCD and Peachy Thoughts should be handled with care and secured, according to a news release. The wines were never submitted for brand registration with state regulators, the release says.
The wines were distributed to retailers in Camdenton, Glasgow, Keytesville, Lebanon, Newburg, Osage Beach, Salisbury, St. Joseph, St. Robert, Stoutland, Sunrise Beach, Warsaw and Wright City, regulators said, and might have been sold directly to consumers as well.
Several explosions have been reported and a bottle exploded after it was confiscated by the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, the release said. The manufacturer is also being investigated for health and sanitation violations and regulators are in contact with federal authorities about the wines, the release said.
Casa de Loco has told the state it is removing the products from retail locations, the release said.
The wines had been served in-house for years before the company bottled it, Casa de Loco owner Larry Owens said in response to questions emailed by ABC 17 News. Some retailers didn’t store the wines in coolers even though the product is supposed to stay refrigerated, he said.
“We immediately halted bottling” after the problem was discovered, Owens said. He said fewer than 80 bottles were distributed and the company recovered them.
