Counterfeit Champagne

Wine is big business what with recent estimates that the global wine trade is worth over $450 billion! With such money at stake, it is alas inevitable that the interest of criminals will be attracted! Around £3 billion is said to be the total value of counterfeit / fake bottles on the market currently!

The good news is that most wine which is sold is at low cost and very tight margins so extremely unlikely ever to see the word counterfeit mentioned, but as soon as we start reading down the wine list and flicking through the pages, we get to see more meatier prices for wines both from prestigious wineries and of rare vintages and here begins the greediness of ‘wine criminals’.

Champagne’s average price point is far higher than standard still wines and cheaper sparkling wines such as Lambrusco / Prosecco so it certainly attracts the interest of the counterfeiters.

“Italian authorities seize fake Moët & Chandon Champagne; Counterfeit Champagne has been seized in Italy in what authorities have called ‘one of the most significant’ findings of its type.” Read the full story on 08-Feb-2016 by Joseph James Whitworth here

Would someone really try to counterfeit wines you might ask? Yes they do and it is a global illegal industry with many famous instances and even a documentary film dedicated to one notorious counterfeiter – Rudi Kurniawan:

Christopher Burr MW was International Head and Director of Wine at Christies Auction House Wine Auctions during the 1990’s: “The other name in the counterfeit wine saga was Hardy Rodenstock (real name of Meinhard Görke), He was buying all part cases and off vintages then shipping out to HK which aroused my suspicion. Whilst I was over in Hong Kong I discovered that there was a small factory where they were re-using and reproducing the finest vintage wines which were then shipped out to Switzerland to give their story provenance.

I was invited by Hardy to several of his tastings during those years, this was before his story of counterfeiting emerged. Well known wine critics and fine wine distributors used to attend his tastings also.  His tastings in Munich I remember with wines being shown which were magnificent and he was always keen to question us on the wines, probably a little bit more than we were used to, much so for himself to gather as much feedback on what was tasted. He did bring to share a bottle of Chateau Le Gay (Pomerol, France) vintage 1945 in magnum during another tasting and this I was very much suspicious of.

I may have nosed about too much, I recollect being followed by Hardy’s team whilst I was over in Hong Kong. I’ve even stories of being involved with both the FBI and Interpol in trying to track these characters down.”

 

 

“The Bonnie and Clyde of the Art Forgery world was Wolfgang Beltracchi, a German artist, who netted himself millions of euros by forging some of the most collectable pieces of major artists and drawing-in and deceiving many leading art dealers and collectors – Again the auction houses didn’t escape being fooled by forged items.“

For fine vintage Champagne and especially of desirable vintage years, we still need to be aware of the authenticity of the bottle(s) we are about to purchase. What the story of Rudi Kurniawan tells us is that even the best wine connoisseurs can fall foul to counterfeit wines from the top wine collectors and critics to the prestigious wine auction houses themselves. Swatting up on how to spot fake wines / Champagne will certainly pay you back when venturing into the more collectable and demanded labels to combat the highly talented work of those using a wide range of skills to reproduce both the wine inside the bottle as well as the bottle itself. Not only much time, but also investment can be put into the ill art of counterfeiting.

“Unlike many other counterfeit items on the market, on the subject of wine it only looks to deceive the buyer. For instance, today you can buy cheap fake Rolex watches at under £100 with more detailed and skilfully crafted counterfeit Rolex examples that can cost into the thousands for those wanting as close to the real thing as possible without paying the costly price tag. Counterfeit Rolex watches serves both in attempting to fool buyers that they are the real thing, but are also knowingly sold to purchasers looking to enjoy as close to the real thing as possible and only missing on the authenticy. I do not know of any serious wine collectors who’d want counterfeit wines in their collections!“

Counterfeiting wines might not be as difficult as you’d assume in that once an original bottle has been opened and drunk, the same bottle can be used once again. The missing parts will be the original wine and the bottle top casing from foil to wax or other. The cork can easily be re-used also and especially if originally extracted by way of a two prong cork puller. Older vintage Champagne cork will release usually quite easily and maintain its shape due to many years of being compacted and in contact with the moisture within – This cork will easily be able to be pushed back in, capsule on top and the wire cage twisted into place thus holding securely any replicated Champagne replaced back within the bottle.

So the wine can simply be replaced with another much cheaper and identical in colour wine or if trying to fool by taste too, a mixture of a few wines by a wine connoisseur can potentially achieve a similar result that only top critics might be suspicious of.

In today’s world of easy access to global companies and crafts people, replacing the foil top becomes a far easier exercise as is ordering the exact materials, shape, size, colour and more to do so.

Let’s not forget also the simple swapping of labels – With many older wines, the visual difference will mostly be detailed on the label so a lesser costing vintage can simply have its label removed and replaced.

The end result is that counterfeit wines become almost indecipherable from the originals!

 

What can you do to avoid purchasing counterfeit Champagne?

You can reduce your risk by purchasing from respected re-sellers or directly from the winery themselves. Study the wine carefully and do not always believe the seller’s stories even if buying from auctions / online dealers as counterfeit labels may have fooled them also. Does it look, feel, smell old? Aged Champagnes, especially pre 2000, will show ageing on the label, foil area and even the clarity of the wine inside the bottle might have suffered slightly with a hint of mist – Does it come with a box presentation, does that look recently produced or inline with the age of the vintage?

Check the label and repeat, here is where much of the story is held – Does the label match up with the design shown by the official winery themselves or reference books / websites? Does the foil area look untampered with?

“A professional counterfeiter especially one focused on wines and possibly certain types / labels, will know all the tricks in order to deceive you. Not only will it provide bottles with exact replica of the original, but it will also show the required ageing to go with its back story. They will set the price to match the current market value as ‘too good to be true’ will likely alert the buyer – The counterfeit wine will blend in harmoniously.”

There are many highly experienced wine enthusiasts and collectors with a detailed knowledge of specific wineries and labels. Edward Kaukoranta, who has tasted over 600 bottles of Dom Pérignon and is the author ‘Drinking Dom Pérignon 1921 to 2013‘ is one such useful contact to have in your phonebook. His experience of viewing, opening and tasting Dom Pérignon labels gives him a detailed knowledge of what the bottles should look and feel like and most certainly able to spot a counterfeit better than many outside of the winery house itself.

 

With the internet readily available to most of us and usually at our fingertips, researching the Champagne you are going to buy couldn’t be easier today. If you are looking to purchase more recent fine Champagne labels then it is likely that official photos of them will be available via search engines and on Champagne house websites. Any doubt you might have can also be cured by communicating with industry experts, the winemakers, Champagne collectors groups on social media and similar to simply asking ‘Is this an original bottle or counterfeit?‘. Many wine professionals will want to tackle counterfeiting in their industry so will usually be most helpful. It might be that the wine house themselves will prefer to remain relatively discreet with the news when dealing with counterfeits, not wanting to raise concerns about the ongoing authenticity of their wines on the market / losing their reputation.

For older Champagnes and especially vintages from before say 1980, history and details might be slightly more difficult to come by and depending on how far back you need to go, not having ever or yet to be documented online.

 

“It’s quite common, especially with smaller producers, that the history of their labels is untraceable and no database to refer to exists. I have had vintage Champagne labels of grower houses that they themselves have never seen, yet older family members recognise – The house will unlikely have kept back a library of their original wines of many years ago as then it was the case of producing and selling. The bigger and more globally famous brand names will though have a more comprehensive history that you can research on their vintage labels and most likely still have original bottles dating back to the beginnings of their house history.

I recollect a fine afternoon spent with Gilles Morisson de La Bassetière at Champagne de Venoge on the Avenue de Champagne, Epernay and him showing me the detailed history of labels of their wines which they have maintained. Here was a magnificent archive of what each label from each year should look like including those exported.” Christopher Walkey founder of Glass of Bubbly / Champagne Collectors