Alcohol and Tobacco Control News Releases

The Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control is warning the public that six different types of bottled wine manufactured by the Eldon, Mo. winery Casa de Loco may pose a danger of exploding and should be immediately secured to prevent injury. The wine should not be consumed.

The Casa de Loco wine products that ATC is aware of that should be handled with care and secured are: Applesauced, Bellini Gold, Coming in Hot, Kona Lover Port, OCD, and Peachy Thoughts. Casa de Loco never submitted these wines to ATC for product brand registration, which includes review and product evaluation, as required by Missouri law. Photographs of some of the wines are available on the DPS flickr site here. Bottle styles and labeling may vary.

The six known unregistered Casa de Loco wines have been distributed to retailers in the following Missouri locations that ATC is aware of: Camdenton, Glasgow, Keytesville, Lebanon, Newburg, Osage Beach, Salisbury, St. Joseph, St. Robert, Stoutland, Sunrise Beach, Warsaw, and Wright City. The wines may also have been distributed directly by Casa de Loco to consumers at events in other locations.

In addition to a bottle of Casa de Loco wine exploding after being confiscated by ATC, there have been several additional reported explosions of Casa de Loco wine bottles.

“We are continuing to investigate, however, it’s important that anyone who has these unregistered Casa de Loco products take immediate action to prevent injury,” ATC State Supervisor Dorothy Taylor said. “We ask that any consumer or retailer who has a bottle of the six affected Casa De Loco wines call our offices and report when and where they purchased the wine. The number to call is (573) 751-2964.”

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is also currently investigating Casa de Loco for potential health and sanitation violations at its Eldon manufacturing premises. DHSS recommends any consumer or retailer with bottles of the affected wine products contain the product and store it in a location where it will be more secure should it explode. DHSS further recommends that consumers who purchased the products should contact the retailer as to any recourse available.

ATC is conferring with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, a section of the U.S. Department of the Treasury that regulates and collects taxes on alcoholic products. In addition, DHSS is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

ATC has contacted known retailers of Casa de Loco wines and suggested removing the unregistered products from their shelves. Casa de Loco has informed ATC that it will be removing the products from retailers.

The issue was discovered by ATC as a result of a routine inspection. After confiscating unregistered wine that was being distributed, a bottle exploded in an ATC evidence storage room. When ATC contacted retailers, it learned of additional explosions, as well as Casa de Loco wine bottles spontaneously breaking and leaking.

For more information, call 573-751-5432 or e-mail mike.oconnell@dps.mo.gov