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Over the past few years, the issue of wine fraud has been a hot topic of discussion amongst collectors and seasoned oenophiles. Earlier this year, a message board posting on the popular website Wineberserkers.com raised serious alarm bells about several supposedly rare bottles for sale in Geneva. The evidence turned out to be so convincing that the auction house embarrassingly had to pull several lots from the collection, casting a dark cloud on all future auctions. In the realm of documentaries, a new film titled Sour Grapes debuted this summer chronicling the story of notorious fraudster Rudy Kurniawan. Currently residing in a United States Correctional Institution for selling fakes on a grand scale, when his home was raided back in 2012, law enforcement found “17,000 labels and bottles soaking in the sink to soak the labels off,” according to the FBI.

Covered in the pages of Wine Spectator and on numerous websites and blogs dedicated to wine, this fascinating subject is poised to break out into the mainstream when The Billionaire’s Vinegar, a major motion picture starring Matthew McConaughey hits the silver screen. Based on Benjamin Wallace’s 2008 book of the same name, the movie will highlight one of the most notorious cases of wine fraud in the United States when in 1985 a bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite allegedly owned by President Thomas Jefferson went for an unheard of $156,000—an accomplishment later tarnished after it was discovered that this and a series of other “Jefferson bottles” were all forgeries. So before you go out to buy a ticket, be sure to get your hands on a copy of this captivating story. After all, it’s much cooler to read the book before seeing the movie!

Written as narrative nonfiction, the author uses a template similar to the 2003 mega bestseller The Devil In The White City, where as the reader eagerly turns the pages of this true crime mystery, they will simultaneously soak up a ton of historical knowledge. As Wallace mentioned in a talk to promote the book, part of his inspiration for writing The Billionaire’s Vinegar came from the lack of wine books appealing to a casual crossover audience. Unlike some dry technical guides that deal with climate and topography or the latest edition of Wine for Dummies, this is the definitely the one to get if you want to learn more about wine. Even if you just like to have the occasional glass with dinner, by the end of this book, you’ll be able to cite all sorts of interesting anecdotes to your friends about famous estates like Château Pétrus and Château d’Yquem. There’s no need to memorize a bunch of banal facts; this story will do far more to advance your appreciation of wine.

While many see the whole issue of wine fraud as nothing more than a rich man’s problem, The Billionaire’s Vinegar is interesting in that it shows us that anybody can be duped, no matter how much money they have or what their status is in life. In fact, it is simply amazing how former rock band manager Hardy Rodenstock, the man who claimed to have “discovered” a series of bottles in a walled-up Paris cellar containing the engraved initials “Th.J.” was able to play many in the wine community like a violin. Trading in a top hat for a fine tailored suit, this glorified carnival barker succeeded in creating the illusion that buyers, which included the Forbes family, were “drinking history” by bidding on bottles purportedly owned by America’s most famous oenophile.

Even more intriguing is despite the fact that alarm bells that were ringing nonstop in the aftermath of this auction, bidders decided to simply ignore them, treating Rodenstock’s assurances as undisputed dogma. Wallace writes, “[Monticello research associate Cinder] Goodwin further noted that Jefferson had requested that the marking take place at the vineyard, which didn’t explain how wines from four different vineyards seemed to have been engraved by the same hand … When Goodwin’s report came out, [Christie’s auctioneer Michael] Broadbent and Rodenstock reacted not with gratitude … but with rage.”

It was this rage, combined with denial, abstraction, and their respective reputations in the wine world that kept this myth alive for nearly twenty years. Desperately holding on to the notion that they owned a rare piece of Americana, many buyers developed tunnel vision, refusing to listen to any facts that contradicted the Rodenstock narrative. And as the book demonstrates, back in the 1980s and 1990s, before the Internet explosion when information was more compartmentalized and not as widely available, it was difficult to put all the pieces together in order to create the big picture. After finishing The Billionaire’s Vinegar, it makes you happy that we live in an era of instant communication where citizen journalists can use websites, message boards and social media as giant megaphones to inform the masses. Had those means existed back in 1985, the Jefferson bottles would have probably been exposed as a gigantic fraud in matter of days, not decades.

Like any good detective, the reader follows along as a rock solid case is built against Rodenstock and his wine bottles. Although there is a mountain of circumstantial evidence throughout the story, you can’t help but feel a great sense of gratification when you finally learn about the smoking gun courtesy of billionaire Bill Koch and his team of high-priced investigators. Sparing no expense in uncovering this mystery, it would take the efforts of Scotland Yard and the FBI to finally prove this fraud beyond a reasonable doubt.

By combining wine history and true crime together into an irresistible blend, Wallace has created a riveting story that has attracted the attention of both wine lovers and Hollywood. Appealing to a wide cross section of the population, his book introduces the casual audience to the major players, estates and vintages in the industry, forming a bedrock of knowledge in wine appreciation that makes people want to go out and learn more.

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Question: How many South American countries are producing wine?

Answer: 5 main ones with the leaders being well established Argentina & Chile. Less well known are Brazil, Peru, and Uruguay. Brazil has some lighter chardonnays, ripe reds (including merlot and Portuguese varieties) and emerging reasonably priced sparkling wines. Peru has the high altitude plus coastal vineyards but the climate is quite tropical and most production is used for Pisco grape brandy. The exciting new player is Uruguay with their signature red grape Tannat and other varieties now showing up more frequently on the export market. Bodega Garzon (consulting oenologist Albert Antonini) has started world-wide distribution of their energetic premium examples including Vancouver at Marquis Wine Cellars who have just received a big 2015 Albarino at 14.5 alcohol & the younger vines with deep ripe fresh fruit 2014 Tannat retailing at $30.34 and $27.74 respectively plus tax. Explore!

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By Joseph Temple

Last week, forty years after California winemakers upset the French in dramatic fashion at a blind tasting known as the Judgment of Paris, the Fifth Republic experienced another shocking loss at the hands of an unlikely foe. On the Mediterranean Coast, at the Château du Galoupet, 21 nations from around the world sent their best oenophiles to sample six whites and six reds in a rigorous tasting competition. Without seeing the label or bottle, each team of four had to identify the country of origin, vintage, appellation and grape varieties used. And when it was all said and done, the winners were not French, European or even American—they were Chinese!

Described by one organizer as a “thunderbolt in the world of wine,” this Cinderella story, which garnered headlines across the world, may end up changing the way the rest of the world views this emerging superpower.   Humble in victory, the winning Chinese team described this triumph as “50% knowledge and 50% luck” but after defeating France, Spain, the United States and a host of other nations, one cannot stress enough how big this event is for both their national wine industry and their wine culture in general.

Looking at the facts, it really shouldn’t come as any surprise that China won this competition. In 2013, the BBC reported that Chinese consumers drank more than 1.6 billion bottles annually and were the second biggest buyers of top claret by volume. Likewise, in 2014, it was reported that China’s wine consumption was double that of its closest competitor, the United States. While Chinese drinking rose by 36 percent, two traditional winemaking nations—France and Italy—showed decreases. Clearly, China is now a country of oenophiles that drinks not only the best from Bordeaux and Napa, but from its own backyard as well.

For those unfamiliar with Sino wines, a little background: Last year, China overtook France as the country with second largest vineyard area of 799,000 hectares; only Spain has more with 1.02 million hectares. This phenomenal amount of growth can also be seen in the total land devoted to vineyards, which shot up from 4% in 2000 to 11% in 2015. Clearly the Chinese have taken to viticulture.

However, matching quantity with quality has produced mixed results. Known by many around the world for cheap bulk wines, the tide may be turning in another direction. Back in 2011, a Chinese winery in the northern Ningxia province beat its French competition and won an international gold medal for its 2009 vintage. While there is still a long way to go, many European juggernauts such as Domaines Barons de Rothschild and Moet Hennessy are setting up shop in Yunnan and Ningxia provinces respectively, perhaps serving as a bellwether for better things to come.

With an insatiable thirst for the finest wines from across the globe, China has left a huge footprint in Provence that is sure to turn some heads. Describing the fierce competition required to be on this championship four-man squad, its coach said: “In China the selection process to get a place on the team is truly ferocious, which means that here we only have the very best.”

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By PABLO GONZALEZ [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Question: I am buying Malbec wines from Argentina quite often and would appreciate your brief thoughts on best current vintages.

Answer: Malbec is usually juicy and drinks well young. The last 3 vintages have not had the ideal quality consistency. 2016 was a difficult cooler year resulting in some of the grapes just not reaching enough phenolic ripeness. 2015 had rot issues so be careful because grape selection is a real key to finding the best wines. 2014 also had crop damage issues and the wines are drinking more forwardly. 2013 was good as were the previous vintages back to the hotter more consistent highly regarded 2009. However vintage can be a less important factor than choosing a high quality producer. Recommend buying Malbec wines from Catena, Achaval-Ferrer, the much improved Zuccardi, Pascal Toso, or any of the other top wineries to ensure you get the best examples of this variety.

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By Joseph Temple

Last week, power brokers and executives alike gathered at the Napa Valley Marriott for the 25th Wine Industry Financial Symposium. Titled “Game Changers For The Next Twenty-Five Years,” this state of the union covered a wide range of topics, from recent distributor consolidations to what impact the legalization of marijuana will have on the wine business.  Presented by Robert Smiley, Director of Wine Studies at UC Davis, the findings were the result of two surveys given to industry professionals asking a series of thought provoking questions that are of great interest to every oenophile.

In terms of the economy, the survey asked what wine companies are doing to prepare themselves for another possible recession.  Having learned valuable lessons from the economic meltdown eight years ago, many respondents replied with diversification. “We are hitting multiple price segments,” said one executive.  “If you go back to the previous recession of 2008, our premium luxury brands tanked.  Our value brands saw us through a little bit.”

To further cushion any blow, another area that vineyards are looking at in regards to cost cutting is labor.  Specifically, the labor that goes into pruning and canopy management is increasingly on the chopping block.  “It has been common in Australia for years.  Wineries are accepting it in the central valley, on the central coast.  We are now planting vineyards in Sonoma that are to be mechanically pruned,” said another response.

Switching from manmade financial disasters to the wrath of Mother Nature, it would be impossible to not discuss the drought conditions plaguing much of the Golden State.  While many vineyards are confident that they can ride out the storm through technology such as rainwater catchment and storage, others are not so sure.  Offering a prophetic vision, one industry insider said: “We feel long term the [San Joaquin] valley probably can’t support grapes because they will be crowded out by other crops and shortage of water … We’re looking to obtain bulk wine from Argentina, Chile and Australia.”

But perhaps the most interesting answers dealt with the growing impact of the millennial generation on wine sales.  Realizing that this group is very different from their baby boomer parents in terms of curiosity, many executives see exciting opportunities:  “I think the millennials are drinking new stuff.  They want to go out into the world of wine and not just Bordeaux, or Napa cab.  They want to go out and try new varietals.”

What caught some by surprise is the idea that this generation is now ready to spend more on high quality wines.  With less purchasing power than their parents at the same age, the conventional wisdom is that vintages need to be at an ideal price point (below $20) in order to appeal to millennials.  However, given the explosion of foodie culture, this perception may be changing: “The drinking of high quality wine could be considered to be an extension of the foodie movement, which seeks high quality and local food.  Naturally, good wine pairs with this food.”

Tackling numerous issues such as the growing market share of Hispanics in the U.S., the possible resurgence of neo-prohibitionism and the vast changes in distribution, this report offers oenophiles some fascinating insight into what the future might hold for the wine they love to drink.  “I see the future of the wine business is great.  It really is truly great,” one executive concluded.

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