| Abstract: |
Collectors in Hong Kong and Asia are now being deliberately targeted by fine wine counterfeiters authentication expert Maureen Downey has warned. Speaking to a room of wine traders, educators and wine connoisseurs in Hong Kong last week for a seminar on wine fraud and wine authentication, Downey claimed that a large number of fake wines made in Europe are finding their way to the shores of Hong Kong, turning the city into a “dumping ground” for fake wines. The dumping phase, according to Downey, happened shortly around 2008 when merchants in the US were uncovering counterfeit wines by Rudy Kurniawan. This was also the time when Hong Kong erased all tax on wines, making it an easy target for merchants who were seeking an outlet, she said. “As soon as the duty dropped in Hong Kong that was around the same time when people were realising how many counterfeit wines there are in the States, and therefore, a lot of merchants rushed into this market and I think it became quite fast a dumping ground for counterfeits |
