FBI Wine Trade Inquiry - Daily Telegraph 07/03/07

[Alan C.]

A slightly disturbing piece in the Daily Telegraph yesterday;

FBI Wine Trade Inquiry
The FBI and US Justice Department are to investigate vintage wine sales in Britian in an inquiry into fake labelling, it was revealed last night.
It was launched after a collector complained that he was sold bottles purported to have belonged to Thomas Jefferson.
Federal Prosecutors have subpoenaed Christie's in London. The inquiry centres on whether auction houses knowingly sold cheaper wines in bottles whose labels indicated superior vintages.

Lets hope this doesn't impact on our interest. or has it? I'm surprised Christies can be fooled by 'shadey' provenance, if they have?
Alan.

[Gizzyeq]

here's the rest of the details instead of the teaser from the Telegraph

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070307/ap_ ... ne_probe_2

[Al B.]

Can I volunteer to help the FBI test these bottles to see if they are fakes please

Any port that is thought might be faked, send it over to me and I will asseble a panel of experts and we will taste it to see if we believe it is genuine. We will compile a full report on our opinion and the reasons why we believe it is fake or genuine.

Clearly, it is not worth sending us bottles that would not be worth substantial sums of money, so please only send ports such as NN 1931, QdN 1931, Fonseca 1927 and any wines from the nineteenth or eighteenth centuries.

[Derek T.]

Presumably the panel members would be free to dispose of any surplus bottles of wines that they declared to be fake

Derek

[Andy Velebil]

Ok let me make some phone calls and see how many bottles I can get for us to test

[Gizzyeq]

ok Alex & Andy your mission should you choose to accept it is...to drink/consume ALL "fake/non-duoro" port that is out on the market and rid the world of the evil known as non portuguese port! heh

[Derek T.]

I think you will find there are at least 3 people on the tasting panel

Derek

[Alan C.]

Plus the Exhibits Officer, ME! :)