tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post5594355707271936395..comments2024-03-18T04:47:16.199-07:00Comments on The Gray Report: My hero, wine forger Rudy KurniawanW. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-27238420335216826162012-06-13T18:24:37.496-07:002012-06-13T18:24:37.496-07:00Hendra: I appreciate the effort farmers make in gr...Hendra: I appreciate the effort farmers make in growing grapes, and I'm very sorry for your loss. <br /><br />I do NOT think it's OK to counterfeit wine. BUT, I don't actually see how what Rudy did hurts the wineries. If anything, it makes their wine libraries more valuable because they can assure buyers of the provenance.<br /><br />I wish you the best and hope that some day I can W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-27593491504252716342012-06-13T18:12:10.434-07:002012-06-13T18:12:10.434-07:00I own a vineyartd and a winery in australia also a...I own a vineyartd and a winery in australia also a personal friend to some of Rudy's family member not that i know him personally.I do not agree to fake any of other people hard work especially brand like what Rudy has counterfeited . I can not imagine how devastating the effect on the label those family have been building for generations . Gray I think as a wine writer you should know how Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01726598405033157982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-68678721549594590972012-05-21T09:03:24.640-07:002012-05-21T09:03:24.640-07:00Anon: I never understood how people could root for...Anon: I never understood how people could root for Roger Clemens, or Manny Ramirez, or any number of others.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-8914488975212017442012-05-20T12:17:58.648-07:002012-05-20T12:17:58.648-07:00You are treating Rudy as if he is a type of Robin ...You are treating Rudy as if he is a type of Robin Hood, which is not actually accurate. I socialized with Rudy for about 4 years over 10 years ago at multiple wine events. While I cannot fault his charisma and generosity at the time, he was only ever interested in top notch labels himself (which also extended far beyond wine) and he was very vocal on telling people what he had just bought, how Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-87597347966105149072012-05-17T15:39:04.037-07:002012-05-17T15:39:04.037-07:00In another view that will make me unpopular, but i...In another view that will make me unpopular, but it's true: If restaurants and retailers sell you a bogus bottle, they should refund the price to you. They are the professionals and they should be cautious about provenance.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-74416027355002263672012-05-17T15:23:23.273-07:002012-05-17T15:23:23.273-07:00High-end wine fraud is rampant, growing, and it af...High-end wine fraud is rampant, growing, and it affects everyone, says Downey. “I hear there’s more ’82 Pétrus sold in Vegas every year than was ever produced. But it’s wrong to assume that wine fraud affects only the very wealthy. When a retailer gets burned, when there’s an increased risk involved, or they have to make refunds, they pass those expenses on. It’s a lot easier to charge a dollar Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09686528730719287754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-79534359254897290642012-05-17T14:13:42.400-07:002012-05-17T14:13:42.400-07:00JD: Thanks for that, you give me the opportunity t...JD: Thanks for that, you give me the opportunity to offer you a virtual handshake and we can both walk away. In this exchange you end up the bigger man.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-18266394362106569652012-05-17T13:56:57.157-07:002012-05-17T13:56:57.157-07:00Ok, now that was good! Shoes with big heels, now t...Ok, now that was good! Shoes with big heels, now that was funny! I can admit when I am had, and that done me in! HAHAHAHA Well playedJDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08983728184536564936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-14675413031846969982012-05-17T11:53:48.267-07:002012-05-17T11:53:48.267-07:00JD: I gotta say, this is rich, a guy writing in to...JD: I gotta say, this is rich, a guy writing in to call me all sorts of names and then saying I "belittle" people.<br /><br />OK, little man, I'll say it a 4th time: "Rudy Kurniawan deserves to go to prison." Now go buy a dictionary and look up "condone." And maybe get some shoes with big heels.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-79172769666730041362012-05-17T10:19:29.419-07:002012-05-17T10:19:29.419-07:00Great job! Again proving my point of the pot calli...Great job! Again proving my point of the pot calling the Kettle black. Now your a spelling elitist. I bet you are so good, you never have to check grammar, or spelling, but you wouldnt BRAG about that now would you? I may not be the best in spelling, punctuation, or grammar, but that doesnt make my point less valid. You are a hypocrite, and you are condoning an act of crime against a small groupJDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08983728184536564936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-1357909947100682922012-05-17T10:06:58.924-07:002012-05-17T10:06:58.924-07:00JD: In addition to your spelling, your reading com...JD: In addition to your spelling, your reading comprehension leaves something to be desired. You might take a second look at the very first sentence in the post.<br /><br />Just for people like you, I repeated it three times. Do you need a fourth?W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-24030649216525146712012-05-17T06:38:30.872-07:002012-05-17T06:38:30.872-07:00So its ok to commit a crime against arrogant peopl...So its ok to commit a crime against arrogant people, just because they brag about the things they have? Using that logic, you can justify any crime commited. "he deserved it" What a load of crap! I would wager, judging from the polital crap you just spewed all over, that you would support a hate crime bill. Yet you single out certain people, and say they deserved it! What a hypocrite JDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08983728184536564936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-62935166979710868522012-05-16T20:38:19.215-07:002012-05-16T20:38:19.215-07:00Great article about maureen, this lady know her st...Great article about maureen, this lady know her stuff. <br /><br />I am far from being rich and occasionally spend a few hundred bucks on a bottle of wine. I do this more than I should and it involves a certain deal of sacrifice for me, financially speaking. I am part of a tasting group and my friends and I get together 4 or 5 times a year to taste some great wines together. I usually buy this DAPZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15863208745641017208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-33608736647128952732012-05-16T17:05:20.224-07:002012-05-16T17:05:20.224-07:00By the way, let me add that while I am a notorious...By the way, let me add that while I am a notorious cheapskate, I paid over $500 for a bottle of wine twice last year. But I shared, I didn't call it "bringing the lumber," and I actually had the wines with dinner.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-78028903016753846242012-05-16T16:57:54.925-07:002012-05-16T16:57:54.925-07:00David: I am still waiting for a non-arrogant victi...David: I am still waiting for a non-arrogant victim of this crime to step forward. Perhaps they will.<br /><br />Am I concerned about a bunch of fake '45 Romanee-Conti floating around the world of wine collectors? No. The wines Kurniawan fraudulently duplicated were not the kind of wines that most drinkers would ever buy. In the meantime, people who want to spend a few hundred dollars on a W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-55295542291160882552012-05-16T15:37:25.163-07:002012-05-16T15:37:25.163-07:00This post is pretty facetious, and given the smugn...This post is pretty facetious, and given the smugness, I can only assume intentionally so.<br /><br />Of course there are many characters worthy of schadenfreude in this saga, that much is obvious, but to think that there aren't many, many people who will end up tangled in this is just stupid. The market will cool, prices will return, and all these bottles will still be out there. There are David F.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17390034927944342539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-46656106483140593862012-05-16T15:02:33.253-07:002012-05-16T15:02:33.253-07:00A wine-searcher article about the 'Dr. Conti&#...A wine-searcher article about the 'Dr. Conti' indictment featuring Maureen Downey: <br /><br />http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2012/05/grand-jury-indicts-kurniawanWiremuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05582079348563967689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-79222636045635764532012-05-16T14:07:29.462-07:002012-05-16T14:07:29.462-07:00Wow, lots of butthurt conservatives posting commen...Wow, lots of butthurt conservatives posting comments. Fantastic blog post Blake. Glad there is somebody with the balls to say it like it is.tourettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03181845485483835795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-83833684684935203682012-05-16T13:19:35.290-07:002012-05-16T13:19:35.290-07:00Michel F, very well said!!!Michel F, very well said!!!DAPZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15863208745641017208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-58268494806864661482012-05-16T12:43:11.083-07:002012-05-16T12:43:11.083-07:00Funny thing about even wine in its highest form ca...Funny thing about even wine in its highest form can be cooked, or turned or whatever. Those who purchase to hold in perpetuity should buy the labels and let their egos soar because they were never vested in the "wine". Those who purchased at the table as a good friend & Sommelier, Frederic Montandon, of Le Cirque, Las Vegas once told me, "over $50 you better know why you are Michael F.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04237671309519411448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-32948588794478871352012-05-16T10:16:38.337-07:002012-05-16T10:16:38.337-07:00No I wouldn't.
I don't get why people fee...No I wouldn't.<br /> I don't get why people feel there is a need to be rude when disagreeing, There is such a thing as a high level discussion; we see it all the time on your discussions with Adam / Siduri, it makes this interesting.<br />Good thing there is no anonymous option here anymore. I imagine it must be discouraging to write for free and get insulted by a bunch of people you don&DAPZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15863208745641017208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-13804910922970503542012-05-16T07:07:22.285-07:002012-05-16T07:07:22.285-07:00Dapz: You're right in theory. There are probab...Dapz: You're right in theory. There are probably a few collateral victims, and when I meet one I'll be regretful.<br /><br />As Alex points out, would you want to spend an evening with some of the anonymous commenters here?W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-38459130157170341592012-05-16T04:38:19.862-07:002012-05-16T04:38:19.862-07:00Hey! All these comments remind me of the Mark Squ...Hey! All these comments remind me of the Mark Squires bulletin board on eBob back in the day ... thanks for reminding me why I do not miss it.<br /><br />Alex AnthopoulosAlex Anthopouloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08083433665105079791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-14215967103796530982012-05-16T00:18:59.915-07:002012-05-16T00:18:59.915-07:00Blake,
I am sure that wine auctions are full of a...Blake,<br /> I am sure that wine auctions are full of assholes and those guys seemed idiotic with those silly nicknames.<br />But with due respect, it's dangerous to generalize. I agree with a comment that a middle class person could have gotten hurt but that is not even the point. An honest wealthy person goes to an auction, drops a ton of cash on a 1945 DRC and gets a fake. It's just DAPZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15863208745641017208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-12025426447488722322012-05-16T00:06:09.513-07:002012-05-16T00:06:09.513-07:00jjjjDAPZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15863208745641017208noreply@blogger.com