San Francisco, CA, March 4, 2019. For the first time on the east coast, Maureen Downey, the world’s foremost expert on wine fraud and the burgeoning field of wine authentication, will conduct a three-part seminar on wine fraud and the art of identifying counterfeit wine. Aimed at members of the wine trade and serious wine collectors, her course will provide attendees a solid foundation in how to verify the authenticity of rare wines and avoid naively buying them for investment or resale.
“Wine fraud is an international problem, and in line with other luxury goods, about 20 percent of the wine in current markets is counterfeit,” Downey says. “The interest in acquiring high-value collectable wine remains strong worldwide, so the issue should be of concern for people working anywhere rare wine is sold. Whether as an investment or for enjoyment. With a small amount of training and knowledge, reputable vendors and careful collectors can save themselves considerable losses from bad purchases and the liability that comes from fraudulent sales. Within the last year, experts trained by WineFraud.com in Hong Kong have discovered bottles of 1990 Petrus with plastic pieces inlayed in the punt to mimic the original bottle embossing, while in France they uncovered bottles of 2014 Domaine Romanée-Conti with counterfeit anti-fraud invisible ink printed on the label. Criminals are going to great lengths to cheat consumers, and are upping their game all the time. These discoveries demonstrate our efforts to expose them are succeeding.”
About the WineFraud.com Identification Program
The WineFraud.com Identification program begins with a morning overview of the past, present and future of wine fraud and its detection. Topics include an introduction to the primary offenders, an analysis of how malicious vendors defraud fellow merchants and clients, the ways bottles are faked and what can be done to counter these corrupt practices. Attendance at the morning presentation is open to anyone interested in acquiring a solid grounding on the subject.
The afternoon session is a Level I hands-on workshop, where students work with counterfeit and legitimate bottles, learning to use the tools favored by Downey in her wine authentication work. Students will also receive a set of these tools, included in their tuition.
The entirety of day two is devoted to the Level II in-depth session. This is intended to serve the needs of a more limited group of wine professionals and collectors, including those who want to become professional authenticators. Downey will delve more deeply into the subjects introduced the previous day and attendees will work more extensively with hands-on comparisons of counterfeits and authentic bottles.
Location:
The Standard High Line Hotel
848 Washington St.
New York, NY 10014
The Schedule:
Thursday, March 21, 2019
8:30 AM — 12:00 PM Wine Fraud and Counterfeiting Presentation
12:00 PM — 1:00 PM Lunch served for participants in full day’s program
1:00 PM —5 PM Authentication, Level I Training
Friday, March 22, 2019
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM Authentication, Level II Training
Attendance Fees:
Wine Fraud Presentation, Level I & II Training + WineFraud.com Membership $5075
Presentation, Level I & II Training $5000
Presentation, Level I& $2050
Presentation Only $650
Discounted admission pricing available to companies enrolling three or more employees. Please contact WineFraud.com for details.
About WineFraud.com and Maureen Downey
Maureen Downey, founder of the San Francisco-based WineFraud.com, has more than 25 years’ experience in the rare wine business. She is the first independent authentication expert called when a bottle or an entire collection falls under suspicion. Her high-profile cases include work for the FBI and Department of Justice that helped lead to the conviction of fraudster Rudy Kurniawan. Downey testified on behalf of mega-collector Bill Koch in his lawsuits against Eric Greenberg, and helped his team’s investigations leading to lawsuits against Rudy Kurniawan, Acker Merrill, John Kapon and Royal Wine Merchants, resulting in significant financial settlements. She continues to work closely with the FBI, having been involved in several other high profile and developing cases.
Downey’s concern about this growing issue led her to create WineFraud.com to serve as a repository for knowledge on the subject. She has developed her first Wine Authentication Program and geared it to the needs of the world’s wine trade and top collectors, ensuring that her experience in the field can be put to use by others to minimize the damaging effects of counterfeit bottles.
For answers to any questions you may have related to the WineFraud.com program, please contact Chelsea@winefraud.com or crista@chaiconsulting.com
