Kurniawan wine gets crushed

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Check out these wines–could almost be a photo from an auction catalogue, right? Well, except for the “COUNTERFEIT” stamp on each bottle. oh, and the minor detail that they are arranged in a landfill.

The hammer fell on these bottles as you can see in the series of photos after the jump. If by hammer you mean garbage compactor. Yes, the US Marshals destroyed over 500 bottles yesterday from convicted wine counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan. Previously, they had put over 4,700 bottles they deemed not fake on the auction block–along with Kurniawan’s Lamborghini and other seized assets.

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See the complete album of destruction photos from the US Marshals.

3 Responses to “Kurniawan wine gets crushed”


  1. What a waste. I’d rather bid on one of these wines than any of the 5,000 deemed authentic. These are the real intrigue.


  2. It really takes the romance out of wine.


  3. @ John – Yes, especially if he had left the “recipe” for each!

    @ Robin – what, counterfeiting?

    Here’s a video of the demolition, just released:

    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qlg62dwn8mtzu8g/AADRfWP6oBoGufYDc-AKyEzha?dl=0


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