Wine fraud is not a distant problem. In Hong Kong alone, nearly 90% of inspected fine wines have been confirmed as counterfeits. HKWAC protects buyers, sellers and institutions with rigorous, impartial authentication.
Hong Kong Wine Authentication Centre (HKWAC) was founded in 2019 as the first and only specialised provider of authentication and wine consultancy services in Asia. With offices in Hong Kong and Singapore, we serve private collectors, auction houses, wine businesses, and corporations.
Our mission is total impartiality. We will never label a fake wine as real, nor a real wine as fake. The integrity of our findings is absolute — it is the foundation on which our value rests.
Wine fraud is not theoretical. It is happening right now, in every major market, including Hong Kong. Our founder has personally inspected collections where nearly nine in ten bottles were confirmed counterfeits. The losses — financial and reputational — can be devastating.
Counterfeit fine wine is of near-zero value. A single fake DRC or Lafite can represent a loss of HK$50,000 or more. Authentication costs a fraction of the risk.
Authenticated bottles command a premium over unverified stock. Our formal reports and Chai Vault blockchain certification give your buyers complete confidence.
For auction houses, merchants, and cellar managers, unknowingly selling counterfeit wine carries serious legal, financial and reputational consequences.
A rapid, confidential verbal opinion delivered by phone or in person. Ideal for pre-purchase verification and initial cellar screening. Findings are strictly confidential and may not be used for resale or marketing purposes.
A full professional authentication with written findings and blockchain certification via Chai Vault. Required for any resale or auction context. Authentic bottles are tagged and registered on the blockchain for permanent, verifiable provenance.
Rate A bottles include: Vintages from 1961 and earlier · Large format bottles · Belgian/négociant bottlings (Vandermeulen, Caves Dessily, Calvet) · Établissements Nicolas · Late-release Mahler-Besse · Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Comte de Vogue, Henri Jayer, Roumier, Rousseau, Leroy, Petrus and Lafite
"One of only a handful of TCM®-Certified Authenticators in the world, and the only one in Hong Kong."
In 1997 — the year of Hong Kong's handover — Domonal entered the wine industry, recognising a golden opportunity in the market for premium wines. Over more than two decades, his business grew from a single retail store to cover import, wholesale, distribution, online retail, wine storage and wine exchange.
After more than three years of rigorous training under the pupilage of world-leading wine fraud expert Maureen Downing, Domonal became the only officially TCM®-Certified Authenticator in Hong Kong — one of fewer than a handful worldwide. His unique combination of deep market knowledge, expert authentication credentials, and risk management qualification makes him uniquely placed to protect clients across the Asia-Pacific region.
In 2017, I attended a seminar where a Hong Kong Customs officer stated there was no evidence of counterfeit wine in the city. Shortly after, during the TCM Authentication course, I personally inspected bottles from Hong Kong collectors and importers. The result: nearly 90% were confirmed counterfeits.
The reluctance to acknowledge the problem — driven by cultural stigma and fear of reputational damage — is precisely what allows wine fraud to flourish. Understanding the barriers to action is the first step towards protecting yourself.
Request the full article →Contact us today by WhatsApp or email. We serve private collectors, resellers, auction houses and institutions across Hong Kong and Singapore.
Whether you are a private buyer seeking pre-purchase verification, a seller looking to certify your collection, or a business seeking consultancy — we are here to help. Contact us directly via WhatsApp for the fastest response.
We will respond within one business day.