Counterfeit Fever

[Craig Winchell]

GAN EDEN isn't alone. Everyone no doubt heard of the counterfeit first growths, Rudy K, and the "superpremiums", but what about Jacob's Creek?

http://www.wineindustryinsight.com/ex_n ... k-seizures

I guess counterfeiters have come to realize just how much money is to be made, even in the more modest brands.

[Yossie Horwitz]

For anyone not following the Rudy K reference (or otherwise), this NY Magazine article by Ben Wallace (author of the Billionaire's Vinegar) is an excellant read: http://nymag.com/news/features/rudy-kurniawan-wine-fraud-2012-5/

[Alexander F]

Thanks Yossie. Never heard the story b4. Could be a great movie.
Vodka counterfeiting is also common in Israel. From time to time a new lab is discovered, but wine thanks g-d is not yet been caught as a target. Vodka is easier and cheaper to counterfeit than wine. Why any1 needs to counterfeit Jacob's Creek is a mystery. IMHO it doesn't excel from the start.

[Craig Winchell]

Evidently, there's enough money in it to make counterfeiting it worthwhile.

[jgpersky]

In Israel, a major operation from uncovered counterfeiting top level and mid-level vodkas and whiskeys. The result in stores has been that customers now complain about how high our prices are for these items. They don't see the difference in quality without a lot of convincing.

[Gabriel Geller]

In Israel, a major operation from uncovered counterfeiting top level and mid-level vodkas and whiskeys. The result in stores has been that customers now complain about how high our prices are for these items. They don't see the difference in quality without a lot of convincing.

I second that, unfortunately...

[Alexander F]

In Israel, a major operation from uncovered counterfeiting top level and mid-level vodkas and whiskeys. The result in stores has been that customers now complain about how high our prices are for these items. They don't see the difference in quality without a lot of convincing.

Don't know what price tags you guys are putting, but I'm used to pay around 60NIS for Finlandia, Smirnoff or Absolut. One of these is sold at Hetzi Hinam for 110NIS per 2 bottles. Once I considered them the top, but now the fashion is for premium brands like Grey Goose, Van Gogh, The Legend of Kremlin, Kettle One. Still, I prefer the old brands for their reasonable price. There are also new players in this category, like Sobieski, Stoli, Hortitza and others, all sell near 60NIS.
My main concern about these vodkas always was about getting the real bottle. The consequences of drinking the counterfeit vodka come at the next morning if not at the same evening, depending on consumed volume. I know how bad it feels after any cheap vodka compared to reasonable hangover after quality brand. The taste is also different, but people often don't notice as many don't even drink it plain. Tell those customers that instead of complaining they should buy pure alcohol and mix it with water and some syrup to the right proportion, that's much cheaper than counterfeits and when consumed in reasonable small quantities has no side effects.

[jgpersky]

http://www.bu.edu/bostonia/web/faux-bordeaux/
My alumni magazine had an article on wine expertise and fraud. The link is above.