Please select [Contact Me] to make further shipping arrangements. He also settled out-of-court with Royal Wine Merchants, which is now banned from selling any wine prior to the 1976 vintage. The out-of-court settlement ends six years of Koch’s legal action against Acker, which he has accused of selling more than 200 bottles of counterfeit wine at auction. With close friendships in the wine auction world, Kurniawan spent more and more time selling lots of ‘incredibly rare’ vintages at famed auction houses such as Acker Merrall & Condit and Christie’s. I consent to the collection, use and processing by Acker of the personal information/personal data that I have submitted, in order for Acker to send me its promotional content. This is not the first time that Zachys is accused of selling fake wines at auctions. Under the laws of Hong Kong and the U.S., intoxicating liquor must not be sold or supplied to a minor in the course of business. We have cast a bright light on a dark industry.’, Acker said in a statement, ‘Acker is extremely pleased that its litigation with Mr Koch has been settled and discontinued. Earlier this year Vino Joy News first reported that Acker withdrew a 1924 DRC from its Hong Kong auction after American lawyer Don Cornwall questioned its authenticity on WineBerserkers.com. It was only a matter of time before suspicion arose. This has been a different year for everyone, a lot of ‘Home Alone’ on the playlists for sure. Lost your password? Acker Merrall & Condit’s CEO, John Kapon, at an auction in Hong Kong. The wine was bought by the consignor through Zachys in 2012. In one auction at Acker Merrall & Condit in 2006, Kurniawan sold $24.7m of wine, beating the previous record by $10m. In December 2012, industry magazine Drinks Business named Maureen as one of the “Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Wine”. Auction house Acker Merrall & Condit has agreed to pay a lump sum to billionaire wine collector Bill Koch and change its business practices in order to settle legal action over alleged counterfeit fine wines. fake labels of some of the most sought-after wines; an Acker Merrall & Condit wine auction in action; Laurent Ponsot of Domaine Ponsot, who worked closely with the FBI team that arrested Kurniawan T he first and only time i met rudy kurniawan was in 2006 in Los Angeles. On entering, they made a startling discovery: a counterfeiting factory, with scores of bottles seemingly in the process of being turned into fakes. In an April 2008 wine auction by Acker Merrall in New York, 107 bottles of rare Burgundy slated to be sold proved to be fraudulent and were withdrawn from bidding at the last moment. Acker, Merrall & Condit, which also holds wine auctions, must now permit returns of suspect or counterfeit wines, the statement said. As a columnist for Wine-Searcher.com, Maureen continually educates collectors and the public about wine collection, wine fraud, and how to avoid fake wines, among other topics. Acker's C.E.O., John Kapon, wrote this colorful consignment introduction to Kurniawan's wines in an April 2005 auction catalog, under the headline "AMAZING GRACE": The palate was rich, fleshy and tasty with great balance and nutty flavors (93). Acker president and CEO John Kapon was part of the group, frequently blogging about the rare collectible wines they tasted. ‘I am pleased that the auction industry is changing the way business is conducted. Acker, Merrall, & Condit was still owed, as of February 2012, almost $3.5 million from their loans to Kurniawan. Your rights and our commitments regarding your personal information/personal data are detailed in our Privacy Policy, available here. Acker, Merrall & Condit was by its own account the largest reseller of vintage wines. Further, a lawsuit filed last year asserts that Acker Merrall sold numerous lots of fake Burgundy and Bordeaux wines … Some well-known examples include the 2008 Acker, Merrall & Condit wine auction in which alleged counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan (currently incarcerated) consigned Domaine Ponsot wines that Laurent Ponsot later stated had never been made. Counterfeits are a big concern for all wine brands, and not just … Also connected to the group was Rudy Kurniawan, the infamous wine counterfeiter who is now serving time in federal prison. Some floor wax/cleaner flavors marked it a bit (92). {"api":{"host":"https:\/\/pinot.decanter.com","authorization":"Bearer N2Q3YTQ0OTg0ODQ3NWRkM2M3Y2MyMzNkNTk1NWQyMjlmZmE3MDI0YjQ2NGMwZTkzMGQzMDA3NmE4YWE3M2M5NQ","version":"2.0"},"piano":{"sandbox":"false","aid":"6qv8OniKQO","rid":"RJXC8OC","offerId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","offerTemplateId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","wcTemplateId":"OTOW5EUWVZ4B"}}, {"location":"Keystone Header","subscribeText":"Subscribe Now","version":"2","menuWidgetTitle":"","myAccountLnk":"\/wine-reviews\/account","premiumLnk":"\/subscribe","menuLnks":{"2":{"text":"My Wines","href":"\/wine-reviews\/my-wines"}},"colors":{"text":"#ffffff","button":"#decc8f","link":"#ffffff"}}, Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 open for entries, Brexit deal offers boost for wine but concerns linger. The wines were from Kurniawan's cellar. Mr. Koch said he bought several bottles from a January 2006 auction of Mr. Kurniawan’s wine. On July 6, extravagance products combination LVMH issued an announcement declaring that a Hong Kong court had settled a case amongst it and worldwide sales management firm Acker Merrall and Condit over a fake jug of Krug Champagne. Wine Market Journal (Auctions Prices - Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Acker Merrall & Condit, Hart Davis Hart, etc..) Other sources if needed. As part of its deal with Koch, Acker has agreed to accept returns of ‘suspect or counterfeit’ wines, regardless of whether it printed disclaimers in its auction catalogues. When I spoke with Kapon recently, he insisted that Acker was among Kurniawan’s victims and that he had never knowingly sold fake wines. Your rights and our commitments regarding your personal information/personal data are detailed in our Privacy Policy, available. Unknown to Acker, Mr Kurniawan sold counterfeit wine in two major sales. While the two gatherings communicated… Neither Koch nor Acker would disclose the fee that the New York-based auction house will hand over, but Koch said it was a ‘significant payment’. The palate was meaty, rich and hearty, younger than the Mondavi and more wound, but ultimately not as satisfying. Acker sold many bottles consigned by convicted wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan, although the auction house has always denied wrongdoing.