Counterfeiters Are Flooding the Wine Market With Fakes That Fool Even Experts
Pinot Noir: inside the criminal gangs making fake wine
Wine fraud has gone industrial. Organized gangs now produce more convincing counterfeit bottles than ever, and they're moving into mid-tier wines worth hundreds of euros that cost almost nothing to fake. French and Italian police have launched dedicated units, but experts warn the counterfeiters are outmaneuvering them. The case of Aleksandr Iugov, convicted in 2017 for selling over a hundred fake bottles of Romanée-Conti across Europe, shows how far the schemes reach.
The problem isn't just the bottles, it's the guy. Everyone trusts him. It's incredible.
- realityfactchex
- motionlessveloc
If you like wine, and haven't watched Sour Grapes, you should.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sour_grapes_2016
It's basically a documentary about this guy, who is mentioned in the article:
- 3RTB297
Also common, apparently, is for Western European wine makers to just buy up batches from Eastern Europe that fit the profile they want, and take them back and re-label them as French. Depends on if you believe Eastern European family winemakers or not, so take it with a grain of salt.
- elephanlemon
> He believes the sweet spot for criminals is what he calls “medium” and “medium-high” wines—bottles selling between €50 and €300.
Now I’m wondering how common this is. I’ve had my eye on a nice bottle of Bordeaux for a special occasion, but how can I know if I’m buying something legitimate or not, especially online?
- x0
Firefox users who can't scroll: Inspect Element -> Style Editor tab -> turn off <inline style sheet #2>