The star of last class' case - Chateau Lafite Rothschild, is one of the most counterfeited wines in the world. In this article, we can learn about the billionaires who are hopping mad about being ripped off with fake wines:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-09-17/how-billionaire-bill-koch-fights-fake-wine
Rudy Kurniawan is one of the highest-profile fraudsters who was recently captured by the FBI. He manufactured counterfeit bottles of wine in his home laboratory and was said to have sold over $50 million of counterfeit wine - including to the Koch brothers, who bought $2 million worth of Burgundy from him.
Rudy Kurniawan is one of the highest-profile fraudsters who was recently captured by the FBI. He manufactured counterfeit bottles of wine in his home laboratory and was said to have sold over $50 million of counterfeit wine - including to the Koch brothers, who bought $2 million worth of Burgundy from him.
Let's get back to the Lafite Rothschild. It is estimated that 70% of all Lafite Rothschild in China is counterfeit. How is one to judge?
Anti-fraud systems have gotten sophisticated - some of these big vineyards now tag all of their bottles with an RFID tag or an NFC tag. The consumer can scan the tag with their smartphone and see that specific bottle's information from the producer. Some wineries use laser etching on the bottle. The issue with these solutions is that the same bottle can be refilled with fake wine after consumption.
This article is fascinating-- thanks for posting, Peter. One of the solutions I'm most interested in is the laser-based test mentioned in the article.
ReplyDelete"Another Bordelais scientist, Bernard Medina, is working on a laser-based test to determine the exact chemical terroir of wine without opening the bottle, but for the moment, it works only on whites."
I wish the author had elaborated on this method because it 1) seems the most promising given the drawbacks of RFID and NFC tags 2.) Would be foolproof for mid-priced wines, as well. I would love to know more about the laser and why the current iteration only works on white wines.