The Dregs of a Deadly Scandal

Italy's tainted-wine scandal con- tinued to spread in ugly fashion last week. More than five weeks after a number of vintners were first discovered to be adulterating their low-priced table wines with methyl alcohol, which is more commonly used as a paint solvent, at least 22 Italians had died and about 90 others were hospitalized after drinking the contaminated product. As the death toll rose, the Italian government listed some 300 labels as suspect, prompting worldwide concern and threatening the country's $953 million wine-export trade.

In the U.S., where some 73 million gal. of Italian wine are imported every year and...