This documentary is about the fine and rare wine auction market and centers around a counterfeiter who befriended the rich and powerful and sold millions of dollars of fraudulent wine through top auction houses. Indonesian Rudy Kurniawan, ‘wonder boy of the fine wine world’ was discovered to have a fake wine lab in his home, selling bottles of wine for upwards of $10,000.
The genesis of this movie for me began right after a reporter for the NY Daily News called, asking for a quote on what I thought of the trial and why wine connoisseurs were forking out so much money for a bottle of wine. My reply, “ego, more properly male ego and the desire for something no one else has.”
And Rudi Kurniawan knew just how to stroke it. He set up prestigious wine dinners for his wine connoisseurs friends, but always saved the empty bottles; even when hosting a dinner at a restaurant. Why do you save the empties? Of course, so you have a record of every label you want to recreate. The video shot of his home was very scary; wine bottles everywhere, labels, inks, papers strewn everywhere. According to the movie, he may have created upwards of 20,000 fake bottles!
The other fascinating character in this play was Laurent Ponsot of Domaine Ponsot. This Burgundy producer makes Charmes Chambertin, Montrachet and Corton Charlemagne wines among others. My first bottle of wine was a Charmes Chambertin and I’ve been hooked on Pinot Noir-based wines ever since.
Laurent Ponsot’s wines were at the center of a scandal involving counterfeit bottles. Rudy Kurniawan created labels for several vintage years of Clos St. Denis from 1945, to 1971. The only problem; Clos St. Denis was not made until 1982! And a fake 1929 Clos de la Roche, when 1934 was the first vintage of these wines.
This was Rudi’s biggest mistake as Laurent Ponsot was not going to have the good name and prestige of his wines corrupted by fake wines and he worked with the FBI to bring the man to account. I must say I was privately cheering Laurent for his indefatigable sense of justice. And the reputation of great Burgundy wines.
Now streaming on Netflix, this is a must see documentary for all wine lovers. Most particularly rare wine collectors. You can also hear me talking about this movie on The Spirits of New Mexico, 1600Am and 95.9FM. I do the show every Saturday at 4pm MST or you can listen in at ABQ.FM
. 
Recent Comments