WineLovers Discussion Group

So there's that.

We haven't had a lot of heavy breathing over the Rudy trial here, mostly (I assume) because most of us don't drink the kind of wine he was faking or rub shoulders with those who do. Although I have pulled cork with Bill Koch, "the nice Koch brother."

Anyway, here's the story of the sentencing from The New York Times. What say you? Does the punishment fit the crime?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/08/nyreg ... il0=y&_r=0

String him up! I'm convinced that I was a buyer--one bottle only, but an '86 Petrus with which to celebrate our wedding anniversary that tasted like an entry level Clos du Val (who make good wine, but still.) We couldn't believe how ordinary it was. Timing was right and everything.

No worries, Jenise! You most likely had a bottle in perfect shape: the 86 Pétrus should clearly have been declassified. At our state monopoly it sold for less than 100 USD in 1993, and even at that price it was only worth it for the label. At a blind tasting I mistook it for an 1984 Pomerol...

Greetings from Sweden / Fredrik L

I still marvel at some of the really high end tasting groups (especially one in NYC) that were deeply in bed with John Kapon and so Rudi, who still claim they have never had a faked wine. They defend to the point of anger their experiences with "pristine" bottles of DRC this and Roumier that, to the point that it is clear it's just a smoke screen for expensive embarassment.

David M. Bueker wrote:I still marvel at some of the really high end tasting groups (especially one in NYC) that were deeply in bed with John Kapon and so Rudi ...

Didn't Burghound also buy some of his wine?

Don't know if he bought them. Pretty sure he tasted a bunch though.

Fredrik L wrote:No worries, Jenise! You most likely had a bottle in perfect shape: the 86 Pétrus should clearly have been declassified. At our state monopoly it sold for less than 100 USD in 1993, and even at that price it was only worth it for the label. At a blind tasting I mistook it for an 1984 Pomerol...

Greetings from Sweden / Fredrik L

Oh, I know that about the 86 Petrus. But still, I drink a lot of aged Bordeaux and this didn't even taste like a 20 year old OR a Bordeaux.

I wonder how much time he'll actually do, what he'll do upon release, and if he'll ever come clean about the whole operation.

But it does not affect me too closely as I drink in different waters.

(Perhaps the next big counterfeiter will screw us with JJ Prum, Eric Texier, and ESJ. Then I'll be a lot more involved!)

Rahsaan wrote:(Perhaps the next big counterfeiter will screw us with JJ Prum, Eric Texier, and ESJ. Then I'll be a lot more involved!)

No real profit margin there. Where is the business plan?

Robin Garr wrote:

Rahsaan wrote:(Perhaps the next big counterfeiter will screw us with JJ Prum, Eric Texier, and ESJ. Then I'll be a lot more involved!)

No real profit margin there. Where is the business plan?

Depends on the cost of the materials. I think people make a fair profit margin with fraudulent cheap industrial wine, which no one is attentive to, and then pumped out through large volume (which of course doesn't apply to Texier and ESJ).

I think the sentence thoroughly justified. However, over here in Europe, there are many crimes IMO equally or even more serious involving bodily harm up to death and/or stripping modest people of their life's savings, which are much more lightly punished. And sentences are very rarely fully served.

At least Kurniawan's victims are well heeled and have enough left to continue enjoying enviable life styles. Of course, loss of victims' amour propre from being taken in is no doubt an important factor. Also there are number of well known critics who were also fooled and should be feeling a lot of embarrassment.

Tim York wrote:over here in Europe, there are many crimes IMO equally or even more serious involving bodily harm up to death and/or stripping modest people of their life's savings, which are much more lightly punished. And sentences are very rarely fully served.

Don't worry. We have the same problem here in the States!