Authentication Trainings

Wine Fraud Presentation & Authentication Training Seminar 7th-9th March, Singapore

If you work with or collect fine and rare wine – this seminar is for you. The three-session seminar covers the scope of wine and spirits fraud, the most common practices of wine counterfeiters and the bottles they create and the basics of bottle inspection for authentication as well as bottle condition which speaks to wine health and provenance.

Wine and spirits fraud is much more than just counterfeits, including theft, investment schemes and wine fund frauds. We describe the wide range of ways scammers defraud producers, vendors, consumers, and governments alike. We discuss and describe the different types of counterfeit bottles including how and where they are made. Of course, fine and rare counterfeits are the focus. Discussions include infamous counterfeiters past and present, the bottles made by each, and how to spot their work. We spend a significant amount of time describing where and how current counterfeits are being produced and sold, and importantly what we do to spot these counterfeits in the field.

Advanced participants are introduced to the TCM® Systematic Approach to bottle inspection, instructed on the methods and intricacies of bottle inspection including a look at all the top producers, the most at risk highly counterfeited bottles and often secretive the antifraud to look for. Through extensive workshop sessions we encourage participants to turn their newly gained knowledge into practical abilities by demonstrating inspection skills and sharing findings.  By the end of the three sessions, participants should have a grasp on the red flags and counterfeit tells of authentication and be able to identify and prevent counterfeit and damaged bottles from becoming part of their inventories.

Live Seminars Overview

WineFraud Presentation                                                        Session 1, 9:30 – 12:30             

A fast-paced introduction to the multifaceted scope of wine and spirits fraud. Discussion includes the history of wine fraud, current issues and global hot spots, the different ways bad bottles are dumped into markets, how counterfeit bottles are produced and what can be done to counter these corrupt practices. A brief introduction to the fundamentals of bottle inspection for health and authenticity.

Presentation Topics Include:

• The size and scope of the issue
• The various types of wine and spirits fraud including theft, salvage wines being resold into markets, investment scams, futures scams, wine funds and other ways scammers defraud global markets
• The different types of counterfeits
• Infamous counterfeits, past and present
• The rise of modern counterfeits
• Global hot spots and trends in counterfeiting and fraud
• Brief intro to the fundamentals of bottle inspection for health and authenticity
• Fighting back against wine fraud and counterfeiting

Intro to Counterfeiting & Authentication Seminar              Session 2, 1:30 – 5pm

The Intro Seminar continues with an exploration of what counterfeiters do, how they do it, and most importantly, what expert wine authenticators look for to spot their work. We dive into the intricacies of ink, printing, paper, and typography as the team takes you through comparisons of the top counterfeited producers, the top counterfeited vintages, and the most-counterfeited regions. Attendees participate in hands-on workshop featuring examples of real and fake bottles and are encouraged to bring in suspect bottles to use as examples.

Attendees are provided a starter authentication tool kit and are encouraged to bring a bottle for inspection in the hands-on workshop.

Presentation is a prerequisite.

Intro topics include

• Characteristics of a successful authenticator
• Tools of the trade: The authenticators arsenal
• The 16-points of bottle inspection: what they are, why they are important and what authenticators look for on each
• Vetting bottles for storage and health
• Counterfeit bottles – comparing authentic and counterfeit examples
• Top affected producers, regions, and vintages
• Brief discussion of current antifraud deployed
• Workshop with real and fake, healthy and damaged bottles

Advanced Counterfeiting & Authentication Seminar           Session 3, 9:30am – 5pm

The intensive Advanced Seminar is designed for serious collectors and members of the trade who work with rare bottles on a daily basis or who seek to become wine authenticators. In this seminar, we do a deep dive, using real world examples of what authenticators expect to see and what points them to a finding of counterfeit in the inspection process. We comprehensively describe the specifics and intricacies of top and at-risk producers’ bottles and provide details we rely on to authenticate them. We explore the often secretive cosmetic antifraud employed by many producers and discuss the efficacy of each including high-tech solutions to tackle the blight of this fraud.

Through multiple workshop sessions, attendees turn newly gained knowledge into practical skills as they work in groups to inspect and present findings on bottles they bring and/or bottles brought from our library of counterfeits.

Participants gain a thorough understanding of the authentication process and by the conclusion of the day will have a firm grasp on the ins-and-outs of the authentication of rare and valuable bottles and at the conclusion of the Advanced Seminar, attendees receive the WineFraud Level I Certificate.

Advanced topics include:

• Tools of the trade: The authenticators arsenal
• TCM® Systematic Approach to Authentication & Inspection Protocols
• Thorough discussion of the 16-points of inspection
  • The importance of each
  • Details to know
  • What counterfeiters do right and wrong on each aspect
  • Red Flags
• Negociant and Eleveur Bottlings
• A march through top/highest risk producers recent and ancient bottles
  • What we look for on each
  • What to expect of authentic examples
  • What points to counterfeit
• Antifraud employed by many top producers
• Reporting
• Extensive workshop sessions include comparing counterfeit bottles with legitimate bottles, ands healthy vs damaged bottles

To ensure we are training only good actors, attendee work history and two professional references are required for admission into our seminars.

WineFraud Credentials:

A TCM® WineFraud Level I Certificate is provided at the conclusion of the Advanced session.

Participants are eligible to attain the TCM® WineFraud Level II Certificate if they take and pass the post-seminar Level II Assessment by successfully showing an aptitude for bottle inspection and completing an authentication related project. Please inquire fir more information.

Live Seminar Program

Day 1, 9:30am – 12:30pm         WineFraud Presentation

                        12:30 – 1pm Lunch Break  Lunch is provided for Intro participants

Day 1, 1:30pm – 5pm    Intro to Counterfeiting & Authentication Seminar

Day 2, 9:30am – 5pm    Advanced Counterfeiting & Authentication Seminar

Morning pastries, all day coffee & tea and other beverages are provided.

Lunch is provided for Intro and Advanced seminar participants.

Live Seminar Pricing

Seminar 7-8  March

Wine Fraud & Counterfeiting Presentation         $800

Intro to Counterfeiting & Authentication            $2,800 Presentation & Intro

Advanced Counterfeiting & Authentication         $5,800 Full 2-day seminar

WineFraud and TCM® Credentials

WineFraud Level I Certificate

Those who hold this Certificate have attended a live 2-day TCM® Seminar including the WineFraud Presentation, and the Intro and Advanced Counterfeiting and Authentication seminars, or have successfully completed the WineFraud Intro and Advanced online courses.

This certification verifies the holder has attended a full two-day seminar covering the basics of WineFraud, Counterfeiting and Authentication of wine and spirits bottles.

Level I Certificate holders are not authenticators and Chai Consulting and WineFraud.com do not recognize them as authenticators or having any authentication skills or abilities.

WineFraud Level II Certificate              

Those who hold this Certificate have attended a live 2-day TCM® Seminar including the WineFraud Presentation, and the Intro and Advanced Counterfeiting and Authentication Seminars, and successfully passed the post seminar TCM® Level II Certificate Assessment. Completing the Assessment involves exhibiting an understanding of the breadth of wine fraud and the basics of bottle inspection for authenticity, including the 16-points of bottle inspection, as well as a clear understanding of assessing a bottle for storage history and health. The assessment includes a combination of a written project and an in-person or online demonstration of bottle inspection.

This certification confirms the holder has demonstrated an awareness of the scope of the issue of wine and spirits fraud and has demonstrated the basics of bottle inspection for authenticity as well as condition and health.

Level II Certificate holders are not authenticators and Chai Consulting and WineFraud.com do not recognize them as authenticators.

Prerequisite: WineFraud Presentation and TCM® Authentication Training Levels I & II.

Cost: $2,000

TCM® Certified Authenticator Training

This 10-module training program is an immersive combination of online presentation, video meetings, projects and reporting, and hands on authentication training in real-world settings alongside other TCM Certified Authenticators of the Chai Consulting team. Persistent candidates may get through the self-It typically takes about a year to complete, but as the advancement is up to the pace of the individual, persistent candidates are able get through the 10-modules in several months.

TCM® Certified Authenticators have demonstrated a mastery of the elements of bottle assessment for authenticity and health. TCM® Certified Authenticators have successfully completed the 10 Module training program which covers all aspects of known bottle counterfeiting and the TCM® Systematic Approach to Bottle Inspection. The modules are a combination of online presentations and videos, with corresponding assignments and post-module live assessments by program invigilator, Siobhan Turner, MW, or another senior member of the team. The course covers topics including extensive work on the 16-points of bottle inspection, ethics, legal and regulatory matters, in-depth details of inspection and authentication of top producers, including cosmetic anti-fraud, and most highly counterfeited bottles. There is a significant amount of practical, hands-on training in real authentication settings working alongside Chai Consulting and a team of TCM® Certified Authenticators.

TCM® Certified Authenticator are licensed to use our marks and methods. They are not employees, but remain independent, and are often hired by Chai Consulting, and each other, to complete inspections. The team of TCM® Certified Authenticators have access to the massive Chai Consulting Database which contains counterfeit and authentic bottle images, extensive producer information, counterfeiting information, and other relevant data to assist in authentication. Importantly, TCM Certified Authenticators are authorized to use the Chai Vault to certify their inspected, authentic bottles in order for wholesalers, vendors and collectors to market bottles as having been authenticated via a blockchain secured online Ledger of Authenticity and Provenance. The authentication stays with the bottle for the life of the bottle, and this provable authentication increases bottle values.

TCM Certified Authenticators are listed on our websites to market their independent services and can market that they have been trained by us on their own websites and marketing materials.

With increased awareness of counterfeits and fraud, especially theft and bottle swapping, we are seeing interest in having bottles authenticated, we are looking to grow our international network of authenticators.

Prerequisite: TCM® WineFraud Level II Certificate.

For more information TCM Authenticator Training, inquire here.