Napa, CA - September 12, 2008
NO COUNTERFEIT WINE!
Invictus Wine Group Today Announced
VinSecure™
Authenticity Assurance For Fine Wines
How do you know that very special bottle of wine you just bought was the real thing?
The bottle told you!
According to Jack Ellis, co-founder and CEO of Invictus Wine Group: "The
VinSecure™ system uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to provide
an effective deterrent to the fabrication and marketing of fraudulent wines. Although
there have been many attempts to implement measures designed to respond to the problem,
none have presented a truly effective approach - Until now."
He further stated: "The system may best be described as a Wine Fraud Deterrent
System, utilizing RFID technology to provide an effective countermeasure to the
fabrication and marketing of fraudulent (or stolen) bottles of fine wine. This system is
a key aspect of our objective of Enhancing The Wine Experience."
Encoded data is transmitted to the RFID device (the tag) on the bottle. The data is
written to the onboard memory, verified and locked. That data cannot be unlocked, meaning
it cannot be altered.
Subsequently, the data can be read and verified providing real time verification of the
bottles ownership history. With each bottle uniquely identified, registered, and
verifiable in real time, the ability to produce and pass fraudulent copies is negated.
Any attempt at marketing a counterfeit bottle will be recognized immediately.
A significant part of the VinSecure™ solution is the ability to assure uniqueness
of the identifying number for any given bottle. This assurance is largely derived from
the nature of the RFID devices themselves. A unique identification number is set at the
time of fabrication and permanently identifies each device.
The unique identification number is sufficiently large to provide unique serial numbers
for 72 quadrillion numbers. This number represents approximately 20 million times the
total annual production (in bottles) of the U.S. wine industry, or about 3.6 million
times the total annual production of the top six countries in the world.
"Bottom line, we are very confident with the assertion of supplying unique
identification to any given bottle of wine. But this is only one piece of the solution,
albeit a very important one," Ellis said.
VinSecure™ tracks:
- Inventory Management
- Provenance (Change of Ownership)
- Cellar Environment History
These data can be stored and selectively locked. Certain things, such as the purchase
price, date of purchase, and fair market value can be updated (rewritten) as required.
For example, when a bottle changes ownership these can be updated to the new numbers for
the new owner.
The act of transferring ownership involves a secure transaction. Each system user
receives a registration number. This is somewhat like receiving a credit card number
except that your registration number stays with you for life, like your Social Security
number, except that 1000-times more numbers are available in the VinSecure™
system.
Each time a change of ownership transaction is initiated a validation key is issued by
the system. This key associates each bottle transaction with the specific individuals
involved as well as the date and time of the transaction. This information is stored on
the bottle, and the data is locked. A series of database records is simultaneously
created to assure accurate tracking of the transaction.
"The VinSecure™ system has been designed in such a way that the RFID tag
cannot be removed from the bottle without destroying the integrity of the tag. The system
has a protected record of the original identification number that is associated with all
other production, bottle and ownership information. These features all work together to
assure that any attempt at duplication or substitution of any other unauthorized number
will be recognized immediately on any attempt to verify (validate) the bottle record,"
Mr. Ellis stated.
The system was designed to track inventory across multiple cellars for a given individual.
The system easily accommodates transfers between the various cellars. Each transfer of a
bottle is tracked accordingly, and the cellar environment data (for example, temperature
and relative humidity) for each is properly associated with each such transfer. IWG's
Defensor™ Web-based Environmental Surveillance System for wine cellars provides the
cellar environment data.
Mr. Ellis added that: "We have responded to the concerns raised previously and the issues
raised by high-profile issues such as the one that has become known as The Jefferson
Bottles with the development of the VinSecure™ system. This approach differs
widely from other purported solutions, including even those utilizing RFID technology.
VinSecure™ is the only system that can actively track specific bottles from one
owner to the next in a secure manner. It will allow individual collectors as well as
auction houses to verify ownership and cellar history in real time."
"Further, unlike any other approach, the VinSecure™ system, in conjunction
with the IWG Defensor™ Cellar Environment Surveillance System, will provide a
cellar environmental history record associated directly with each cellar within which the
bottle has resided. This record provides a detailed history of the ambient temperature
and humidity experienced by the bottle throughout its residency in the cellar of
record."
Now you can know not only where your wines are, but also you finally can have the peace
of mind knowing where they have been - And - That they have been cellared properly, as
well.
For more information: You may either Email
or call us at 877-823-2529.
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