Category: Educational Corner

By: Siobhan Turner

It is interesting when I talk to people about what I do, what their reactions are.  Many people are surprised it’s a problem.  Most collectors assume they are far too savvy ever to get caught.  Wine trade people know it’s an issue, but many assume it’s nothing…

Getting to $550mill.

Recently, historical fraud supporter and nay-sayer of all things I do, Stuart George went about claiming that our number that there is $550million in value of Rudy Kurniawan-made wine still in circulation - in cellars and being traded – is somehow impossible. Unfortunately, Mr. George did not,…

As many people start to learn about wines, authenticating, and the history of wine producing, I get questions about what books I recommend, and especially from Members, what additional information is out there to continue your education. Over the course of my career, I've read and acquired many books and…

Outside of Shanghai, two men were recently arrested and  20,000 bottles of fake Carlo Rossi were seized. Unfortunately no one knows exactly how much wine was made and is circulating in the marketplace. This can come as an unsettling discovery for many wine drinkers, especially those…

A ring of Italian and Russian counterfeiters have been arrested. These arrests have been a huge reminder to many in the industry that wine counterfeiting is still happening, and in high volumes. This ring was found after an investigation sprouting from information from Mahatma Wines. The ring recreated these wines…

How do you break it to a client that their wine is fake? The answer is that it really depends on the client. When dealing with a professional buyer, who has called you in to vet a potential purchase, they know that there is always a risk, and the reason…

As the former Executive Director of the Institute of Masters of Wine, what was the relevance of wine authentication to the organization? Wow!  This is a difficult question to answer, and it must be done from a number of different perspectives. The first, and easiest, way to tackle this question…

Recovery Rooms, White Knights and Advance Fee Frauds  I am convinced that fraudsters are very keen followers of WC Fields as they abide to the letter by his famous dictum in the 1941 film “Never Give a Sucker an Even Break”. The chances are that if you fall victim to…

I was asked about what I was looking forward to most about the presentations and training in London and Hong Kong that are coming up in the next few months.  This seemed like an easy question at first, and then, as I explored it, more and more waves uncovered, so…