Sour Grapes (2016 film)
Sour Grapes | |
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Directed by |
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Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Simon Fanthorpe |
Edited by | James Scott |
Music by | Lionel Corsini |
Production companies | Met Film, Faites Un Voeu |
Distributed by | Dogwoof, London |
Running time | 85 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Sour Grapes is an American crime documentary about wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan. Filmmakers Jerry Rothwell and Reuben Atlas debuted the documentary at film festivals in October 2016 and on Netflix the following month.[1][2]
Premise
Rudy Kurniawan, a rich Indonesian wine-collector with an interest for wine and specifically Burgundy, who spent millions of dollars on wine and sold them. Acker Merrall & Condit, an auction company, broke records by selling $35 million-worth of Kurniawan's wines in 2006. In 2008, they held a sale at a Manhattan restaurant promising the wines to be authenticated by "some of Burgundy's most discerning connoisseurs." It had bottles of Domaine Ponsot Clos Saint-Denis from the years 1945, 1949 and 1966 but an estate proprietor revealed that the particular wine had not been produced until 1982. The FBI raided Kurniawan's house in Los Angeles and learnt of the wine fraud that he collected empty bottles and refilled them with cheaper wine and forged labels.[3] In 2014, he became the first in the United States to be convicted of the crime, and is given a ten-year sentence by a New York federal judge.[1][4][5] Kurniawan declined interview and press talk for the documentary, since imprisonment.[1]
Cast
In alphabetical order; credits adapted from IMDb[6]
- Arthur Sarkissian
- Bill Koch – businessman and collector (as Bill Koch)
- Brad Goldstein – Bill Koch's spokesperson
- Corie Brown – food and wine writer, Zester Daily
- David Fredston – private equity investor, Sole Source Capital
- Don Cornwell – lawyer and burgundy wine expert
- Eddie Tansil – wanted Indonesian bank robber (archive footage)
- James Wynne – FBI agent specialized in counterfeit goods (as Jim Wynne)
- Jason Hernandez – prosecutor in the Rudy Kurniawan case
- Jay McInerney – novelist and wine columnist
- Jefery Levy – Jef Levy
- Jerome Mooney – Rudy Kurniawan's defense attorney (as Jerry Mooney)
- John Kapon – wine merchant and auctioneer (archive footage)
- Laurent Ponsot – wine producer in Burgundy, France
- Maureen Downey – wine consultant
- Rajat Parr – sommelier
- Rudy Kurniawan – convicted wine counterfeiter (archive footage)
- Vincent Veridiamo – Rudy Kurniawan's defense attorney
Reviews
The Hollywood Reporter stated the filmmakers "thoroughly and concisely detailed the progression of Kurniawan’s fraud in a style that merges an Antiques Roadshow-style fascination with rare wines with a Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous-type fixation on the spending habits of the overly affluent."[7]
References
- ^ a b c "A True-Crime Documentary About the Con That Shook the World of Wine". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
- ^ "'Sour Grapes' uncorks vintage wine fraud". Sonoma Index Tribune. 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
- ^ Gardiner, Sean; Sharp, Sonja (2014-08-08). "Counterfeit Fine-Wine Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
- ^ "Accused Wine Counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan Guilty in Landmark Court Case | Collecting News | Collecting | Wine Spectator". WineSpectator.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
- ^ "Rare Wine Dealer Sentenced in Counterfeiting Scheme". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
- ^ Sour Grapes (2016), retrieved 2017-07-21
- ^ "'Sour Grapes': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-07-21.