Educational Corner – Page 2

A Personal View on Why Authentic Wine is Important

09/19/2016 By: Siobhan Turner

My friends often have quite a warped view of my job. When I say I am going to authenticate a bottle of wine, they somehow picture a lovely restaurant, or a charming villa in Tuscany (if I am travelling) and me gleefully pronouncing that the bottle of ’61 Petrus is…

Appellation Controlée (and Related Matters) – A Concise Guide

05/19/2016 By: Siobhan Turner

Background Appelllation Contrôlée is a protection given to French produce from a specified region. It normally requires guarantees that the produce comes from that region, has been produced according to specified standards, and meets certain (relatively low) quality levels. Unlike common perception, it applies as easily to cheese and chickens…

Vandermeulen Bottlings

03/09/2016 By: Michael Egan

Wines bottled by the Belgian wine merchant Vandermeulen have achieved cult status among international collectors. They are a superb representation of the golden age of Belgian merchant bottlings, thanks to the status, quality and, importantly, their longevity. The continuity of the labels through the decades ensures that the merchant’s identity…

What Makes a Great Vintage

02/25/2016 By: Michael Egan

Wine lovers can usually trot out their litany of great vintages from around the world but what makes a vintage great? Is it due solely to the weather conditions of that particular year? Are other contributory factors decisive, such as successful marketing, the historical significance of that year or buyer’s…

Avoiding Wine Investment Scams

02/15/2016 By: Jim Budd

Five Top Tips for Avoiding Wine Investment Fraud 1. NEVER accept a cold call, or deal with a company that cold calls. 2. Consider investing in a phone that can block unidentified / unwanted callers. In the UK, sign up to the Telephone Preference Service as well. 3. Ensure your…

Where We See Counterfeits in Today’s Market

02/12/2016 By: Maureen

We are often asked where we are seeing counterfeits in the current marketplace, so I thought I would give a few words about where in the recent months we have been finding counterfeit bottles pop up most frequently. In some instances, these are long term trends we have been seeing…

How to Use WineFraud.com

01/28/2016 By: Maureen

In order to make WineFraud.com a more useful tool in the fight against wine fraud and counterfeits, I want to take a moment to describe to members how we envision the use of the information here to best benefit members. Let me start by simply stating what WineFraud.com is and…

Rudy Kurniawan Case is Closed, So Why Don’t I Feel There is Closure?

01/12/2016 By: Siobhan Turner

On 22nd December 2015 Rudy Kurniawan lost his appeal against both his conviction and his 10-year sentence for wine fraud. 500 bottles of fake wine from his cellar were crushed mid-December. Meanwhile, his cars including a Lamborghini Murciélago and a Mercedes G-Class SUV were auctioned in October, and his authentic…

Why Wine Expert Does Not Equal Authentication Expert

08/29/2015 By: Sheri Morano

Very few people are aware that one of the main reasons for the development of the Master of Wine title over fifty years ago was to be able to offer the wine trade in the U.K. a way to train tasters and help combat wine fraud. The tricky business of…

A Material Discussion: The Nitty Gritty Behind Sediment

07/23/2015 By: Siobhan Turner

What is sediment? Wine is, in essence, a colloidal suspension – that is, a mixture in which small particles are dispersed throughout a liquid. Over time, two things happen. The first is that gravity will naturally draw these particles to the bottom of the liquid, in this case, a bottle…

Category: Educational Corner