Kurniawan's first experience with vintage wine was back in 1999 at his father's birthday celebration. It was at that celebration where Kurniawan took his first sip of what would later make him a well respected wine collector for his sophisticated palate years later. In his early 20s Rudy became a well known prodigy of fine vintage wine.
With the help of his sophisticated taste for fine wines, Rudy, realized that he could blend lower quality wines with one another to reproduce the same taste as the vintage wines. It was his genius concoctions that led him on what became a streak of big profit fraudulent wine sales.
Court fillings state that back in Indonesia, Rudy hired a printer who created authentic reproductions of labels and stickers. He also ordered stamps and authentic wax to mark and seal the bottles.
Kurniawan claimed to have found "a magic cellar containing a stash of very rare wines, so rare and so great, that it was the stuff of the legend".
Rudy hosted many wine parties, one of which was attended by actor Jackie Chan, who at one point during the party stood on a chair and applauded Kurniawan.
The "rare stuff of the legends" was later found to have been brewed in Kurniawan's home kitchen in Arcadia, California.
This streak of million dollar sales worth of the "rare drink" took a tumble in 2008 when fake bottles of France’s Domaine Ponsot were identified at a New York auction.
Kurniawan was arrested
in March 2012, and has been in custody since then. His lawyer argues
that he should be released on the time he has served.
Boy oh boy!! greed will kill us all LOL so that was my short summary of the story but man it does tell me that these so called "wine connoisseurs" in reality know NOTHING about wine. where were their "sophisticated palate then?" I've come to the conclusion that people will believe what you tell them. sad but true. ok thanx for reading!
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