Talking as we were on another thread about advertising,marketing and believing the hype, this story rings a bell.
In the U.S. E&J Gallo sold what they claimed to be a Pinot Noir under their Red Bicyclette label. Apparently they sold 13.5 million litres of the stuff without anyone, their own wine blenders or any of their customers noticing in wasn't actually a Pinot Noir at all. It was a blend of several wines including Syrah,Merlot and Shiraz.
The only reason the French wine producers were found out was because an alert customs official noticed that more Pinot Noir was being shipped to Gallo than the Languedoc area was capable of producing.