Global Wine Investments Ltd disappears after failing to supply wine

 

Global Wine Investments Ltd, which was set up in April 2011, would seem to have disappeared. The website (wwwglobalwineinvestments.com) no longer operates and the phones are dead. The company had an account at London City Bond but apparently there is minimal stock in the account. 

According to investor AR:

'I purchased 4 cases of Lafite Rothschild 2008, for £8.5k per case. I made the payment on 30th April. They have twice offered me a refund, once spent a week telling me it was in the post, but nothing has materialised. They have changed offices, changed directors several times, their original CEO Michael Wilson was allegedly the CEO of a company called Omera Ltd, which was financing global wine allegedly. This looks bogus also.

I was promised by their solicitor a partial refund of £28,000 but received nothing. 

The main culprit seems to be the ex-CEO Michael Wilson, who has several companies with dodgy histories, such as Omera Ltd (06625374) until he wound that up last year. This company was supposed to be funding global wine. We need to get the word out that he is a con artist. People are now contacting the police, hopefully with enough people making allegations they will actually do something.'

Another director was a James Hamilton. 

As well as being a director of Global Wine Investments Ltd, Michael Wilson was also a director of  Omera Limited, which was dissolved last October, and a director of the similarly named Omera Ltd until his resignation on 9th May 2012. Omera Ltd (07845830) was set up on 14th November 2011. 

Global Wine Investments Ltd promised 'First Class Expertise'. The only expertise demonstrated would appear to be the ability to take its customers' money, not supply the wine and then do a runner.   

    

 Omera Limited – dissolved on 18th October 2011 no accounts filed 

Clients of Global Wine Investments Ltd, who have not received their wine, should make sure they report this company and its directors to ActionFraud. This is a central police registry for reporting fraud. Customers of Global Wine Investments Ltd may well be contacted by other scam companies offered to sort out their problems with Global. This is a classic 'white knight' ploy designed to rip off the investor for the second time. These companies should also be reported to ActionFraud. 

There were two earlier posts on investdrinks about Global Wine Investments Ltd here and here.

Global Wine Investments Ltd – First Class Expertise!? Whose wines?

Global Wine Investments Ltd 'fine wine brokers based in the City of London' were set up on 12th April 2011. They claim 'First Class Expertise'. However, this does not appear to extend to their knowledge of the History of Bordeaux. They claim that the 1855 Classification listed all Bordeaux wines and that the appellation contrôlée system was set up at the same time! (see below).  

For a young wine company they have an extensive wine list (11 pages downloadable from the site), although on a brief look the prices look rather high. The 1996 Lafite is priced at £18525 a case, whereas it is listed by a number of merchants on wine-searcher for around £10,000.  Albany Vintners has this for £10300 a case. Latour 1982 will cost £27300 from Global Wine Investments Ltd, whereas several merchants list it on wine-searcher for between £16,000 and £17,000 a case. The company isn't listed on wine-searcher. 

The Global list also has some rarities such as a single bottle of 1949 Dom Perignon listed for £851.50 a bottle. Albany Vintners also have a single bottle of this but at £655. Staying with 1949 Global list a Rivesaltes at £546 a case, Albany have a Château Saint-Michel, Rivesaltes at £420 a case. 

Global Wine Investment Ltd's list does appears to have more than a passing resemblance to that of Albany Vintners, except that Global's prices are substantially higher. All very curious especially as it came as a complete surprise to Albany Vintners Ltd that Global were using their wine list:

“Nope, never heard of these guys − they’re nothing to do us. Certainly looks like Albany’s list to me, with margin added as you suggest, but to be clear they’re not running the list with permission of Albany Vintners.”  

Clearly if you find something interesting on Global's list buy instead from Albany.... 

and I think I'll definitely pass on Global Wine Investments Ltd for the moment!