PROOF that wine bores are often total blaggers with more money than taste has been provided by someone who’s spent their working life humouring them.

Fabrice Sommier is president of the Union de la Sommellerie Française, the association of French sommeliers, and has worked at Michelin-starred restaurants on the Continent.

He has now owned up to charging a customer close to £4,500 for cheap boxed cooking wine after they had twice moaned about the quality of two very expensive bottles and sent them back, reports The Times.

Sommier was a novice working at an unnamed top restaurant when the incident happened decades ago.

He told Le Figaro: “An American customer ordered a bottle of Château Latour, a highly prized vintage [claret]. I gave it to him to taste but he complained and asked me to change it. Again, he sent the wine back after it had been opened.”

Sommier then asked a more experienced colleague for some help in dealing with what could be a huge hit for the restaurant.

He explained: “He took a beautiful silver decanter, went into the kitchen and filled it with a wine from a box used to make sauces. He served it to the customer, who went into raptures and said it was exactly what he wanted.”

Wondering what to charge for “a vulgar boxed wine”, his friend stepped in again.

“He added up the cost of the two wines that had been sent back, and came up with a bill of 35,000 francs [close to £5,000],” revealed Sommier.

The tale seems to be more proof that so-called wine experts may not know as much as they let on.

Swift Half has revealed how £2 bottle of supermarket plonk was awarded a top prize by judges after a cheeky label change.

And if the soaring cost of booze is just stopping you getting totally gazeboed, you can always follow our advice on how to make your own – and it’s honestly not too bad.

Or you could tuck into Britain’s best budget beers, as rated and slated by Swift Half.