Lost your password? In April 2008, multiple lots of Burgundy from Domaine Ponsot were pulled from an Acker auction after proprietor Laurent Ponsot called Acker president John Kapon to say the wine was fake. When I spoke with Kapon recently, he insisted that Acker was among Kurniawan’s victims and that he had never knowingly sold fake wines. Trophy wine flows freely at Acker auctions, and the mood was merry, but Ponsot did not share in it. Your rights and our commitments regarding your personal information/personal data are detailed in our Privacy Policy, available here. Acker sold many bottles consigned by convicted wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan, although the auction house has always denied wrongdoing. Acker will also submit all of its pre-1970 vintage wines to expert authentication. I consent to the collection, use and processing by Acker of the personal information/personal data that I have submitted, in order for Acker to send me its promotional content. fake labels of some of the most sought-after wines; an Acker Merrall & Condit wine auction in action; Laurent Ponsot of Domaine Ponsot, who worked closely with the FBI team that arrested Kurniawan T he first and only time i met rudy kurniawan was in 2006 in Los Angeles. Never before had so many rare vintages of wine been seen in such high quantities. In December 2012, industry magazine Drinks Business named Maureen as one of the “Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Wine”. Acker sold many bottles consigned by convicted wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan, although the auction house has always denied wrongdoing. Last month we placed the fake wines coming out of China under the microscope, asking our followers if they could spot the two fakes from the real deal. Kurniawan’s wines had publicly been called into question as early as April 25, 2008, when Laurent Ponsot, the proprietor of French winemaker Domaine Ponsot, made a surprise visit to an auction hosted by Acker Merrall & Condit in New York to stop the sale of the fake Domaine Ponsot wines. It was a public statement that found the wine gathering world's consideration. Acker president and CEO John Kapon was part of the group, frequently blogging about the rare collectible wines they tasted. Last Name *, Country * New York auction house Acker Merrall & Condit sold fake wines in 2006 from now convicted fraudster Rudy Kurniawan. Acker Merrall & Condit, an auction company, broke records by selling US$35 million worth of Kurniawan's wines in 2006 (equivalent to about $44M in 2019). United StatesHong KongBrazilJapanUnited KingdomOther, How did you hear about us? Premise Rudy Kurniawan was a rich Indonesian wine collector with a fascination for Burgundy, and he spent millions of dollars on wine and also sold countless bottles of fake wine. A 1983 Roumier Bonnes Mares snuck in there, and it was great for me because a) any bottle of Roumier is a special occasion and b) I have had a lot of good luck with the 1983 vintage as of late on the top level. Lee’s next tweet showed how seriously she took the accusation of fake wines at the Acker auction, however: If anyone has evidence of questionable authenticity abt HK auction wines, pls send. Please leave this field empty. “The fake wine Rudy made and sold represents at least US$550 million in today’s market,” says Downey. Acker, Merrall & Condit, which also holds wine auctions, must now permit returns of suspect or counterfeit wines, the statement said. Unknown to Acker, Mr Kurniawan sold counterfeit wine in two major sales. Banner AdSearch EngineWine EventFriend/ReferralAcker Retail StoreFacebookInstagramTwitterOther. This is not the first time that Zachys is accused of selling fake wines at auctions. The palate was meaty, rich and hearty, younger than the Mondavi and more wound, but ultimately not as satisfying. Researching 4 article 4 ChinaBzNews w 800k readers. With close friendships in the wine auction world, Kurniawan spent more and more time selling lots of ‘incredibly rare’ vintages at famed auction houses such as Acker Merrall & Condit and Christie’s. He is known to have sold significant amounts of wine through Acker from at least 2003. *Please note that there are items in your cart that are warehoused outside of your requested shipping area. Your rights and our commitments regarding your personal information/personal data are detailed in our Privacy Policy, available. In January 2015, the contents of Kurniawan's personal wine collection was examined for non-fake wines that could be sold to help repay his victims. On July 6, extravagance products combination LVMH issued an announcement declaring that a Hong Kong court had settled a case amongst it and worldwide sales management firm Acker Merrall and Condit over a fake jug of Krug Champagne. Wine Market Journal (Auctions Prices - Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Acker Merrall & Condit, Hart Davis Hart, etc..) Other sources if needed. Acker's C.E.O., John Kapon, wrote this colorful consignment introduction to Kurniawan's wines in an April 2005 auction catalog, under the headline "AMAZING GRACE": Also connected to the group was Rudy Kurniawan, the infamous wine counterfeiter who is now serving time in federal prison. The authentic wines in … The 1978 Heitz Martha's Vineyard closed out the first flight with a very complex yet shy nose. This has been a different year for everyone, a lot of ‘Home Alone’ on the playlists for sure. In one auction at Acker Merrall & Condit in 2006, Kurniawan sold $24.7m of wine, beating the previous record by $10m. I consent to the collection, use and processing by Acker of the personal information/personal data that I have submitted, in order for Acker to send me its promotional content. We look forward to continuing to focus on our customers and clients.’. ‘This is a big victory for consumers,’ said Koch, who has spent more than $25m chasing alleged counterfeiters and was recently filmed choking back tears during a television documentary on the number of purported fake wines in his home cellar. The term ‘caveat emptor’, or buyer beware, is a common feature of auction houses’ pre-sale brochures. Please select [Contact Me] to make further shipping arrangements. Previously, Koch has prevailed in legal actions against wine dealer Hardy Rodenstock and wine collector Eric Greenberg. We track website preferences, provide product recommendations, and record anonymized data about your site visit with cookies. As a columnist for Wine-Searcher.com, Maureen continually educates collectors and the public about wine collection, wine fraud, and how to avoid fake wines, among other topics. Everyone I know has no problem with masks and social distancing; one would think this wouldn’t be an issue. It was nothing more than a friendly wine … The wine was bought by the consignor through Zachys in 2012. To learn more about how we use cookies, see our Privacy Policy. Some cookies are essential to make our website work. It was only a matter of time before suspicion arose. According to the Council of Bordeux Wine, 30,000 bottles of fake wine are sold and consumed each hour in China. After testifying, Koch gave an impromptu press conference in the hallway outside the courtroom. Counterfeits are a big concern for all wine brands, and not just … At auction and privately, Kurniawan sold thousands of rare wines and, if he was indeed counterfeiting, it is possible that he has completely corrupted the market for old Bordeaux and Burgundies. Kurniawan’s downfall dates to an Acker auction in April 2008, when he put up seven lots of red wine from a sought-after Burgundian grower, Domaine Ponsot, at prices up to $70,000 per case. The palate was rich, fleshy and tasty with great balance and nutty flavors (93). As part of its deal with Koch, Acker has agreed to accept returns of ‘suspect or counterfeit’ wines, regardless of whether it printed disclaimers in its auction catalogues. There was some signature mint and eucalyptus, good tannins and alcohol there, and a little chocolate rounding out the nose. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. In 2006 alone, he sold $35 million at two single-seller sales. {"api":{"host":"https:\/\/pinot.decanter.com","authorization":"Bearer N2Q3YTQ0OTg0ODQ3NWRkM2M3Y2MyMzNkNTk1NWQyMjlmZmE3MDI0YjQ2NGMwZTkzMGQzMDA3NmE4YWE3M2M5NQ","version":"2.0"},"piano":{"sandbox":"false","aid":"6qv8OniKQO","rid":"RJXC8OC","offerId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","offerTemplateId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","wcTemplateId":"OTOW5EUWVZ4B"}}, {"location":"Keystone Header","subscribeText":"Subscribe Now","version":"2","menuWidgetTitle":"","myAccountLnk":"\/wine-reviews\/account","premiumLnk":"\/subscribe","menuLnks":{"2":{"text":"My Wines","href":"\/wine-reviews\/my-wines"}},"colors":{"text":"#ffffff","button":"#decc8f","link":"#ffffff"}}, Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 open for entries, Brexit deal offers boost for wine but concerns linger. Neither Koch nor Acker would disclose the fee that the New York-based auction house will hand over, but Koch said it was a ‘significant payment’. Some floor wax/cleaner flavors marked it a bit (92). Acker, Merrall & Condit was by its own account the largest reseller of vintage wines. Mr. Koch said he bought several bottles from a January 2006 auction of Mr. Kurniawan’s wine. Slowly but surely, one must poke one’s head out of the ground and say hi to the world…responsibly, of course. Rosania could not be reached for comment. Further, a lawsuit filed last year asserts that Acker Merrall sold numerous lots of fake Burgundy and Bordeaux wines … We have cast a bright light on a dark industry.’, Acker said in a statement, ‘Acker is extremely pleased that its litigation with Mr Koch has been settled and discontinued. Earlier this year Vino Joy News first reported that Acker withdrew a 1924 DRC from its Hong Kong auction after American lawyer Don Cornwall questioned its authenticity on WineBerserkers.com. Some well-known examples include the 2008 Acker, Merrall & Condit wine auction in which alleged counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan (currently incarcerated) consigned Domaine Ponsot wines that Laurent Ponsot later stated had never been made. The nose was honeyed and toasty with oat and vanilla aromas and balanced by the chocolaty and nutty fruit. Please enter your username or email address. The out-of-court settlement ends six years of Koch’s legal action against Acker, which he has accused of selling more than 200 bottles of counterfeit wine at auction. In an April 2008 wine auction by Acker Merrall in New York, 107 bottles of rare Burgundy slated to be sold proved to be fraudulent and were withdrawn from bidding at the last moment. Acker Merrall & Condit’s CEO, John Kapon, at an auction in Hong Kong. Koch still has a lawsuit pending against Kurniawan, who is due to be sentenced on 24 July. As part of its deal with Koch, Acker has agreed to accept returns of ‘suspect or counterfeit’ wines, regardless of whether it printed disclaimers in its auction catalogues. Acker, Merrall, & Condit was still owed, as of February 2012, almost $3.5 million from their loans to Kurniawan. On entering, they made a startling discovery: a counterfeiting factory, with scores of bottles seemingly in the process of being turned into fakes. Getting to $550million of Rudy Kurniawan Wines in the Current Market. It was 15 minutes of Bill Koch Unplugged: among other things, he alleged that Acker Merrall is the “biggest seller of fake wines in the United States” and claimed to have heard that John Kapon is “getting ready to flee to a foreign country.” Under the laws of Hong Kong and the U.S., intoxicating liquor must not be sold or supplied to a minor in the course of business. He also settled out-of-court with Royal Wine Merchants, which is now banned from selling any wine prior to the 1976 vintage. First Name * Alarmingly, very few people could tell the difference. But that was not Kurniawan's only slip-up. Thnx The wines were from Kurniawan's cellar. Acker uses cookies to improve your experience on our website. Auction house Acker Merrall & Condit has agreed to pay a lump sum to billionaire wine collector Bill Koch and change its business practices in order to settle legal action over alleged counterfeit fine wines. ‘I am pleased that the auction industry is changing the way business is conducted. Consumers will now have more protection from unscrupulous collectors as a result of this settlement. While the two gatherings communicated… And the mood was merry, but ultimately not as satisfying and eucalyptus, good tannins alcohol., one must poke one ’ s head out of the “ Top 50 Most Powerful Women in wine.. Stateshong KongBrazilJapanUnited KingdomOther, How acker wines fake you hear about us many rare vintages of wine been seen in such quantities... 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