How to spot a fake

Rudy Kurniawan was convicted in 2013 of producing fraudulent wines worth tens of millions of dollars. His methods involved refilling genuine old bottles with blended wines of his own construction. His wines passed through major auction houses and were consumed by sophisticated collectors before the fraud was detected. The protections available are provenance documentation, purchase through reputable auction houses with their own provenance standards, and for the most valuable bottles, specialist authentication including capsule examination, label analysis, and where possible, chemical analysis of the wine itself

The practical advice for most collectors is to buy from reputable merchants and auction houses with clear provenance and to be appropriately sceptical of private sources offering exceptional wines at exceptional prices.

CollectorGrade take

The most effective protection against wine fraud is buying through reputable channels with documented provenance. The marginal cost of a great bottle from a reputable source over a seemingly similar bottle from an unclear source is cheap insurance.