Prosecutors on Tuesday turned a Manhattan federal courtroom into a virtual wine cellar by breaking out dozens of reds and whites for jurors to see in the feds’ first-ever criminal case of vintage-wine counterfeiting.
Almost 40 unopened bottles were placed on a court table, ranging from half bottles to huge Methuselahs, all sporting vintage stickers and labels allegedly created at the home of accused counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan.
Truly Hardy, of Manhattan auctioneer Acker Merrall & Condit, testified that the most expensive was a lot of 10 bottles of 1943 Roumier Bonnes Mares that go for $95,000 combined
Kurniawan, 37, was busted last year after spending about a decade as one of the country’s leading wine connoisseurs, famed for hosting lavish late-night tasting parties at restaurants, including the since-closed Cru in Greenwich Village.
Hardy testified that “questions of authenticity” were raised about the wines that his company had purchased and sold on behalf of the alleged fraudster in 2006 and 2008.