Maureen Downey, named the "Sherlock Holmes of Wine" by Bloomberg and the "Wine Detective" by SF Weekly, announced the official launch of WineFraud.com, the first of its kind resource for vendors, buyers and producers of fine wine.
WineFraud.com Founder Downey was instrumental in solving the now notorious case of the Kurniawan wine counterfeits, which were estimated to have brought $130 million dollars of fake wine to auction and international markets. When Thomas Keller's the French Laundry had $300,000 of wine stolen from their collection last December, Downey was immediately consulted by the FBI to help them crack the case. Bloomberg Business says, "For the past 10 years she has been on a one-woman crusade to rid the wine industry of counterfeit and stolen wine."
The aim of WineFraud.com is to raise awareness of wine fraud and counterfeiting issues in the wine trade and among consumers, and to educate its members on the core principles of wine authentication. The mission of the site is to make it difficult for wine fraudsters to thrive by raising awareness and knowledge, as well as increasing due diligence. The ultimate goal is to end wine counterfeiting and fraud, creating a more transparent and authentic global wine marketplace.