Author: Chelsea Snare

Jeff Berrill who liquidated Westminster Fine Wines has been sentenced to 12 months in prison. He was charged for taking money and never delivering on 57 cases of wine for 11 investors. There are additional investors who were not named in this lawsuit, that also never received the wine they…

One man was arrested in London on accounts of insurance fraud. The total charges were conspiracy to defraud and money laundering offenses. Over years, many insurance claims were made by a wine bar called “The Lounge,” which was never opened. Read more here.

An Australian company is trialing labels embedded with microchips to use against counterfeiters. These microchips can track the history of the wine, checking provenance, and can verify authenticity. The microchips will be connected to a smartphone app that users can use to track the wines. Read more here.

A group of students at the University of Texas is using technology to see if the wines bottled are what they say they are. The technology is sensors that detect tannins, and can determine when the grapes were picked, and what varietal is used. These tests can be used to…

A great summary of the counterfeit wine issues, especially in China, about why wines are counterfeited and that the most expensive wines are not the only wines that are targeted. Counterfeiters like Hardy Rodenstock and Rudy Kurniawan are notorious for their impact on the counterfeits in the industry, but unfortunately…

A Stockton wine bar owner had $1000 of wine stolen just before Valentine’s Day, but was able to use Facebook, and the community to track down the stolen wines. After posting the security footage of the theft on the social media network, the owner, Paul Marsh, got a private message…

David Charles Giusti was arrested on felony accounts of stealing wines from Billings Depot in January. Guisti broke into the building and took 82 bottles of wine. Police found him afterwards and were able to recover 75% of the missing wines. Read more here.