The 8,000-year-old history of wine is replete with instances of fraud

The Phylloxera epidemic devasted vineyards in Europe in the second half of the 19th century such that wine production in France fell from 8.45 bn litres in 1875 to only 2.34 bn litres in 1889

All of us have opened a bottle of what should have been a good wine, only to be disappointed by the aroma and/or the taste.

Most of the time, this is due to either poor storage (heat “cooks” wines) or poor packaging (defective corks taint the wine with THC, a compound that leaves the wine tasting like wet cardboard or, worse, dirty socks). 

Occasionally, though, poor quality is not an accident: wine can be watered down, you can receive a glass of an inferior wine (whole or in part) or the wine in the bottle may not be what the label says it is.

The history of wine (which is at least 8,000 years old) is replete with instances of fraud —  glass bottles started being used for storing wine only around 350 years ago. Before that, vintners used only clay pots (kvevri, amphora), graduating in time to woodden barrels, which made diluting what was dished out easy.

This begs the question of the biggest instances of wine fraud.

Old wine in new bottles: The Phylloxera epidemic devasted vineyards in Europe in the second half of the 19th century such that wine production in France fell from 8.45 billion litres in 1875 to only 2.34 billion litres in 1889. Since most wines in those days did not last more than a few years, and there was a massive shortage of wine, this led to the practice of bad, old wine being put into new bottles and passed off as good, new wine.

This has led to the modern practice in restaurants of the bottle being opened in the presence of the host and a little wine being offered for approval before the other guests are served.

The Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis 2015 is aromatic and crisp, with aromas of green apple, minerals and a touch of exotic herbs and fruit

The billionaire’s vinegar: In 1985, auction house Christie’s sold one bottle of what was claimed to be a 1787 Château Lafite Bordeaux, autographed by then US President Thomas Jefferson, for $ 156,000  to Malcolm Forbes, publisher of Forbes. This was the highest ever one bottle of wine fetched at an auction. The bottle was supposedly part of a cache of rare old wines believed to have been discovered in France and acquired by collector Hardy Rodenstock. It was never opened and, presumably, “turned into vinegar”.

Over the next 10 years, Rodenstock went on to become one of the top sellers of rare wines, getting endorsements from experts like Robert Parker and Hugh Johnson. However, by 2005, there were widespread doubts about the provenance of the wines from this source. Added to this, a series of lawsuits by US collector Bill Koch questioning the authenticity of his purchases demolished Rodenstock's reputation (although the lawsuits never led to a conviction). This matter has been brilliantly covered by Benjamin Wallace's 2009 book, The Billionaire’s Vinegar.

Rudy Kurniawan, or Dr Conti: Born Zhen Wang Huang in Jakarta in 1976, Rudy Kurniawan studied in the US and gained prominence by 2006 for “possessing the greatest wine cellar in the world”. He amassed a fortune buying low-priced Burgundies and re-bottling and selling them as top labels, particularly Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (for which he was nicknamed “Dr Conti”).

Kurniawan was arrested in March 2012 and sentenced to 10 years in prison, principally due to action initiated by Bill Koch (who had bought several high-priced wines from him) in 2009. He is currently serving his sentence in a US prison.

Wines I’ve been drinking: Continuing my fascination for French wines, I sampled a bottle of the Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis 2015 (Wine Spectator 89 points, Rs 3,376 in Bengaluru). Wine buffs will know that Chablis (pronounced “shablee”) is the name both of the district and the wine, which is always a 100 per cent Chardonnay. The winery was founded in 1814 and is still run by the founder’s family — a huge endorsement of its provenance.

The wine itself was terrific. Aromatic, crisp and light-bodied, with aromas of green apple, minerals/stone and a touch of exotic herbs and fruit. Great balance and finish — a fish wine par excellence!

I will still say, “Vive la France.”

Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant