How did Rudy Kurniawan do it?

Kurniawan was arrested in 2012 after FBI officers found fake labels, corks and wines in a raid on his home. A New York court subsequently convicted him of mail and wire fraud following a two-week trial by jury in December 2013.

Can wine tasters really tell the difference?

Some blinded trials among wine consumers have indicated that people can find nothing in a wine’s aroma or taste to distinguish between ordinary and pricey brands. Academic research on blinded wine tastings have also cast doubt on the ability of professional tasters to judge wines consistently.

What is it called when you taste wine for a living?

A sommelier (/ˈsɒməljeɪ/ or /sʌməlˈjeɪ/; French pronunciation: ​[sɔməlje]), or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing.

How did wine tasting start?

Although the practice of tasting is as old as the history of wine, the term “tasting” first appeared in 1519. The methodology of wine tasting was formalized by the 18th century when Linnaeus, Poncelet, and others brought an understanding of tasting up to date.

How did Rudy Kurniawan fake wine?

Agents found a fake wine assembly line in Kurniawan’s Los Angeles kitchen, including phony labels of some of the world’s rarest wines, custom stamps and rare French wax used for sealing bottles. The evidence suggested Kurniawan wasn’t just trafficking in counterfeit wines, he was making them.

Is Rudy from sour grapes in jail?

Kurniawan, whose family gained wealth operating a beer distributorship in Indonesia, was convicted of mail and wire fraud in 2013 in a New York federal court and spent seven years in prison. He was deported after being released from prison into immigration custody last November.

Why do wine tasters slurp?

A sommelier, for example, will take a sip of wine, and usually swish the liquid around for a quick moment in the mouth. In short: people who slurp their wine are not obnoxious; they are just trying to get the most out of their mouthful of wine in order to taste it and enjoy it to the fullest.

How accurate are wine tasters?

Wine tasters will mention all sorts of things they can taste in a fine wine as if they were a human spectrograph with the ability to sense the molecular makeup of their beverage. Research shows, however, this perception can be hijacked, fooled, and might just be completely wrong.

What is a wine drinker called?

An oenophile is a person who greatly enjoys wine and knows a lot about it; a wine lover. An oenophile is considered a connoisseur of wine, meaning they don’t just like it—they love it and know a lot about it.

What is a wine person called?

A sommelier is a wine waiter or steward; a trained and knowledgeable professional providing the service of wines, usually in a restaurant setting.

When did Kurniawan start passing off fake wines?

Around 2004, prosecutors say, Kurniawan began passing off his fake wines. Last week, both Koch and Laurent Ponsot, of top Burgundy winemaker Domaine Ponsot, testified that they had long suspected that Kurniawan’s wares weren’t quite what they seemed.

Was Rudy Kurniawan the world’s biggest wine forger?

Rudy Kurniawan amassed a vast fortune trading in rare wines. Trouble is, he was bottling them himself. Ed Cumming reports on a vintage swindle T he world’s biggest wine forger started small. It was the early 2000s, and a young man who went by the name of Rudy Kurniawan began to make a name for himself on the Los Angeles scene.

Who is Rudy Kurniawan?

The Man Who Duped Millionaires Into Paying Big Bucks For Fake Wine : The Salt Rudy Kurniawan, once considered one of the world’s most formidable wine collectors, was convicted Wednesday of making cheap wine blends in his house and then passing them off as some of the rarest wines in the world, for thousands of dollars each, at auction.

Who found the fake wine at auction?

Around the same time Bill Koch, an American billionaire who found fake bottles in his collection, hired private detectives and filed a lawsuit. Authentication experts saw more and more dodgy consignments emerging from these record-breaking auctions. At last the FBI got involved.