The German magazine Stern, published in Hamburg, has launched an attack against wine collector Hardy Rodenstock. In a report just published, Stern reporters have tried to prove that Rodenstock has had reprints of labels of old wines printed.

In a major article, "label fraud" with respect to old wines is insinuated. Wine collector Hardy Rodenstock, who also trades in old bottles, and has repeatedly organised tastings of rare old Bordeaux wines, is said to have presented in at least one case a wine that did not bear its original label. It is also claimed witnesses have stated, according to the magazine, that Rodenstock has had labels reprinted for many years. Although the article does not explicitly claim that the wines were fake, the reader cannot help feel there must have been something wrong in the dealings of Mr. Rodenstock.

This is the second major attack launched by Stern against Bordeaux fan Rodenstock. However, independent experts believe the evidence in this case is once again rather thin; after all, the mere reprinting of labels on its own is hardly illegal.

Nevertheless, a number of open questions remain with regard to the provenance of some old Bordeaux wines. Some critics still claim that the source of some 18th century bottles, claimed to be an old cellar in Paris that Rodenstock himself has never seen, is less than certain. A collector in the USA (Wein-Plus reported on this) is still involved in a court battle with Rodenstock, as he allegedly sold fake bottles of wine to the collector via a third party. (WF)