WineAuthentication.com exists because wine counterfeiting has become a greater and greater problem for buyers and sellers of wine. Individual collectors such as myself have discovered that some rare bottles purchased from supposedly trustworthy vendors are not what they seem. I'm sure that most of you have seen the large number of articles that have appeared this past year regarding the subject. Up until now, there was no easily accessible resource available to help people determine the authenticity of these bottles. wineauthentication.com is the very first website to offer help, advice and a community to share experiences and ideas with.

In order to avoid misuse of the site, we are requiring a token membership fee for those that simply wish to participate in the community of knowledge that the site makes available. For those that need specific advice on specific bottles, we will charge enough to cover some of our costs, but the majority of the costs will be covered by sponsors and large corporate members that wish to support this important effort. As we see how the financial model develops, we may change the fee structure to ensure the ongoing survival and growth of the site or to make it more accessible.

When I purchased my counterfeits I was not aware of any resources to authenticate them. Now, wineauthentication.com will be available to anyone that needs to keep up with news and information regarding the subject. In addition, by submitting bottle photos and provenance information to us we will be able to provide preliminary authenticity assessments that could be very valuable.

The war on counterfeiting starts here.

-Russell H. Frye

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