Rupert knows damn well who Kapon is. That piece was all bout letting John brag, and hang himself.
It’s mind-boggling that there’s no mention in this story on the fake Krug of the Acker-Rudy connection.
It is a trade publication dependent on trade member support.
love the comments below in the first article
What comments?
someone commented that they are not #1 as he states…another apparent stretch of the truth…love his pumps…like he’s the Don King of wine auctions
Yeah, I commented too. A bit more frontal about Kapon’s credibility. It’s been “awaiting moderation” since Tuesday. I guess the moderators in Hong Kong must be celebrating American Independence Day with an extended vacation.
Ha…I wonder how many messages are in wait, looking forward the colorful commentary…lets share our thoughts everyone.
Here’s my reply to the article - a similar version was previously deleted. I have resubmitted.
This is offensive. Kapon and Acker do not get to absolve themselves because he says so. Kapon created “Rudy Kurniawan the amazing collector”, through misleading and flat out lies in emails and consignment introductions, like the “Amazing Grace” consignment introduction in the 2005 sale, which Bill Koch read from in the movie, Sour Grapes.
Kapon funded Rudy’s criminal enterprise, then had his friends loan Rudy millions of dollars through Acker – a wine auction company. (As seen in Publicly available documents showing millions in loans from 3rd parties funneled through Acker)
Kapon paid critics (Burghound in particular) to support and substantiate Rudy, as well as Eric Greenberg, consignments that were chock full of counterfeits, such as “The CELLAR I & II”, and Greenberg’s “The Imperial Cellar” in HK. (as seen in public documents, court transcripts.) (I also had conversation with AM about this.)
Stringent authentication? Third party authenticators? Like bang-up Gil Lempert Schwarz? I’ll show you some of the worst counterfeits I’ve ever seen, and Gil was the 3rd party authenticator at Acker at the time… Just paying someone to be inept, or look the other way is not enough.
My colleagues and I are still, today finding counterfeits sold regularly at Acker HK. Acker is absolutely still selling counterfeits, especially through auction in HK.
Kapon has lied to us and damaged the industry. He has never even admitted his role, nor asked for forgiveness.
And now with the Moet Hennessy court award, Kapon/Acker have once again been found culpable of selling counterfeit wine by a court. That is more than a 16-year history of selling fakes, according to court proceedings with not so much as ONE apology or acknowledgement of the wrongs they have done by defrauding wine consumers.
No John Kapon, you do not get to absolve yourself!
Brava, Maureen!
If John is so proud of his business, why does he not answer any of these allegations?
Kapon paid Burghound? What’s that story?
Though Maureen says it above my understanding is burghound was not part of this sham, rather used as a pawn to pump Rudy’ s phoney wines and give Kapon’s auction credibility…seems obvious Rudy wasn’t alone.
Epic post Maureen
Has Allen Meadows ever written about such?
it is my understanding that he wrote about the Kapon tastings he attended and was fooled by some of the counterfeits. I hope Maureen replies to your post for she is a better source.
Which is better to be, a fool or a co-conspirator?
Allen Meadows is not a fool just because he was fooled a couple of times. Surely even you have been fooled a couple of times in your life?
A theory (not necessarily one that is true, only Kapon can answer that):
Kapon / Acker may have been merely following a long tradition of auction houses relying on ‘buyer beware’ and turning a blind eye to dodgy behaviour from their key clients, plus engaging in plenty of their own .
I’ve seen people bidding on their own lots, seen wine getting ‘sold’ to an empty wall (to encourage bidders that everything is selling), lots knowingly misrepresented (e.g. Latour-a-pomerol called out as “Now lot 123, the 1982 Latour”). Wines that have lost their colour, or whose colour betrays oxidation being listed without mention of the fact. Ghost bidding used to take the hammer price up to the level of a single absentee bid. I know of someone (in antique dealing circles) threatened with violence for not joining a buying cartel (which are illegal over here).
All in all, despite the sometimes prestigious image portrayed, this can be an immensely murky world, frequently crossing the boundaries of accepted morality (and legality).
The theory is that Kapon is not that far removed from others in his industry, just that he operates on a massive scale, and with more audacity than most.
a foolish conspirator? 
agree