Travel smarter | Find top restaurants | Volcanic Wine Awards

How Rudy did it

Tuesday 15 May 2012 • 1 min read
Image

15 May – Read a racy 4,000-word account of the story of Rudy to date by Benjamin Wallace, author of The Billionaire's Vinegar, just published in New York magazine, here. I understand that Wallace's friend Michael Steinberger, once wine correspondent of Slate, has been commissioned by Vanity Fair to cover the same ground. JancisRobinson.com is referred to obliquely in the account at 'British online wine media'.

The New York indictment of Rudy Kurniawan, arrested by the FBI for serial counterfeiting of fine and rare wine, can be read in gripping detail here.

(I should have published it as soon as I received it very early on Thursday morning, but this coincided with our departure for a couple of days in the country to prove to ourselves how well Nick is recovering from his recent operation. I apologise for the delay.)

However, the amount of detail is jaw-dropping (see Rudy's spare capsules and soaked-off labels below), even if the document is coy in not naming those who were duped and the auctioneers involved. I assume that those interested in this case will be able to fill in most of the blanks themselves. Living in the country with some of the strictest libel laws in the world, I think I will resist that particular temptation, although you have only to put 'Rudy' into our search box, choosing 'Rest of site' from the drop-down menu, to be enlightened.

Rudy Exhibit B_1 

Become a member to continue reading
Member
$119
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 284,104 wine reviews & 15,767 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors
  • Access 284,104 wine reviews & 15,767 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 284,104 wine reviews & 15,767 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade
  • Access 284,104 wine reviews & 15,767 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Pay with
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Free for all

Sta Rita Hills from Mae Estate
Free for all Santa Barbara County has a great deal to offer. A slightly shorter version of this article is published by the...
Tour d'Argent wine list
Free for all 詹西斯 (Jancis) 与这份五公斤重的酒单搏斗,并参观了供应这些酒的酒窖。另请参阅 翻新后的银塔餐厅 (The renovated...
Langres cheese
Free for all 开启全新的月度专栏,本 (Ben) 向我们介绍葡萄酒与奶酪搭配的神秘艺术。上图为朗格勒奶酪 (Langres) –...
Dennis and Elizabeth Groth and first winemaker Nils Venge in 1984
Free for all 葡萄酒生产在哪里培养了团结精神,在哪里没有。本文的一个版本由金融时报 发表。上图,丹尼斯·格罗斯 (Dennis Groth)...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Gerhard Wohlmuth looking up at the Edelschuh vineyard
Tasting articles There is no such thing as a bad vintage; there is only hard and harder. And Styria’s 2023s prove their...
 Domaine Saint-Germain vineyard in St-Pierre d’Albigny
Inside information Varieties that leap over mountains with no regard for geopolitical borders make definitions tricky, says Wink Lorch. Above, a vineyard...
Gramercy Tavern exterior
Nick on restaurants During the 25 years of JancisRobinson.com, what’s been happening in hospitality, so important for wine sales and consumption? All pictures...
An old class photo of Jancis Robinson
Inside information The second episode of a new seven-part podcast series giving the definitive story of Jancis’s life and career so far...
Grahams 80-yr-old port and jr-wine-news-in-5-min logo
Wine news in 5 Plus a proposal for updated rules in the EU’s wine sector and a catch-up on a new(ish) category for tawny...
Cosima Bassouls in one of her fermenting bins
Wines of the week A call to embrace the joyous ‘thanksgiving’ concept behind Beaujolais Nouveau with wines made by vignerons who care. Clocks have...
Mae Estate rocks
Tasting articles From transparent Pinot Noir to concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon in remarkably few miles. When I revisited Santa Barbara County’s wine country...
A collection of aromatic spices on a marble table
Inside information Part three of an eight-part series on how to pair wine with Asian flavours, adapted from Richard’s book. Click for...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.