Billionaire Koch brother's crusade against counterfeit wine

Oct 22, 2017

(CBSNews) - As long as there have been collectors, there have been people trying to cheat them. The world of fine wine is no different. Forgers have made millions of dollars fooling collectors thirsty for rare and interesting "trophy" wines. With lots of money, big egos and often no intention of ever drinking the wine, they're an easy target.

At first, no one seemed to be an easier mark than Bill Koch, an avid wine collector with deep pockets. He is the sibling of the famous Koch brothers, Charles and David, who are known for their philanthropy and support of conservative causes.

But as it turns out, Bill Koch was the wrong guy to mess with. Driven by an obsessive aversion to being cheated and fueled by a billionaire's budget, the "other Koch brother" has become the country's leading crusader against counterfeit wine.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Who are you in this family? Where are your interests? What makes you different than the other brothers or like them?"

BILL KOCH: I could-- how much time do you have?

SHARYN ALFONSI: Sixty minutes.

BILL KOCH: Well, I've chartered my own way in life. My brother Charles likes to collect money. My brother David used to like to collect girls until he got married. And people say, "Well, what do you collect?" I collect everything I can.


Share: Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Reddit Furl Facebook Google Yahoo Twitter

Comments:

 
Leave a comment





Advertisement