Is the fog of fraud dampening fine wine prices?
The arrest of Rudy Kurniawan on March 8 coincided with the top in the fine wine market this year. Even though Kurniawan–whose guilt or innocence on wine counterfeiting charges remains to be tried in federal court–was apprehended, wine fraud remains an easy crime: combine sky-high prices with an old collectible whose authenticity may be difficult...
How big is that vineyard? Franzia/Bronco edition
Two Buck Chuck turns ten this year. We were reminded that Fred Franzia’s Bronco Wine Co. owns 40,000 acres of vines in the San Joaquin Valley, debt-free, which helps keep the wine price so low. How big is a 40,000 acre vineyard? It’s about 50 times the size of Central Park, and, in fact, about...
Bachelorettes, locavores and quality wine in America
The other day, I was speaking with someone who relayed a conversation that he had with a vintner in Temecula, an area with over 1,000 acres vineyards about an hour and a half from LA and San Diego. The guy asked the vintner why he didn’t try to make better wines. The vintner replied that...
NY mag on the Rudy K saga
New York magazine has a lengthy piece by Benjamin Wallace (author of The Billionaire’s Vinegar) on counterfeiting wine and the saga of Rudy Kurniawan. Grab a magnum of coffee and check it out.
Commuter cuvee: vin de soif, American style
American wine under $15 is a difficult category. And domestic pinot can be downright dicey. And charity wines often sacrifice quality for the good of the cause. So it was with skepticism that I tried the Grochau Cellars, “Commuter Cuvee” 2010 recently. Sold in Portland at $14.99 with a portion of the proceeds going to...
Rudy Kurniawan, aka “Dr. Conti” indicted on four counts
Rudy Kurniawan, aka “Dr. Conti” aka “Mr. 47,” was indicted on four counts of counterfeiting, mail fraud and wire fraud in federal court yesterday. Mike Steinberger posted the 25-page indictment signed by US Attorney Preet Bharara to his blog. The indictment largely covers the same ground as the documents filed when Kurniawan was apprehended in...
The fallout from the rainmaker in Spain
Last week, Pancho Campo resigned from the Institute of Masters of Wine. An email from the Institute’s executive director said that “in light of his move into more sports and music events and away from wine, he has decided to resign his membership of the Institute of Masters of Wine, effective immediately.” The Institute had...
Sarkozy, teetotaler, is out; Hollande, in. But is he a Champagne Socialist?
At the polls yesterday, French voters bid adieu to President Sarkozy who was famously, and incongruously, a teetotaler as head of France. “President Bling Bling,” as he was known, will now be replaced by “Mr. Normal,” Francois Hollande. As far as our beat is concerned, does that mean that a wine-lover will be returning to...
FTC revised guidelines for disclosure: toothless or cumbersome?
With little fanfare, the FTC released updated guidelines for endorsement disclosure on blogs. Diannej.com has a good run-down. Wineries and wine blogs are both affected but the guidelines are a jumble and the FTC has said they have not been getting complaints, they will not fine bloggers (if anything, they would target advertisers), and they...
Thirstday: vin de soif, Christian Ducroux, “Prologue”
Vin de soif. The term captures a wine style–thirst-quenching, gulpable–that delights in the pleasures of drinking wine, not worshipping it. It has to also be somewhat light in body and easy on the wallet to make it really thirst-quenching for me. When I tweeted the term yesterday, Howard Goldberg replied that he only drinks vin...
Why the US Postal Service should ship beer and wine
It’s no secret that the US Postal Service is in dismal financial shape. Last week the Senate passed a bill to take steps to right the sinking ship. One of the unusual steps in the bill is good news: allowing the USPS to ship beer and wine. This is a great idea for several reasons....
Jesus, pot wine, Bordeaux 11, Mosel bridge – sipped and spit
SIPPED: Jesus as store manager in the image above? LARGELY SPIT: Bordeaux 11 After pre-judging the Bordeaux 2011 vintage prior to tasting, Parker dials back the damning commentary writing in his report that it was “much better than I first thought,” likening it to 2008 and 2001. [DrinksBusiness.com] SIPPED, NOT SMOKED: Mike Steinberger answers the...
