In Vino Duplicitas: The Rise and Fall of a Wine Forger Extraordinaire with author Peter Hellman

After bursting onto the scene in 2002, Rudy Kurniawan, an unknown twentysomething from Indonesia, quickly became the leading purveyor of rare wines to the American elite. But in April 2008, his lots of Domaine Ponsot Clos Saint-Denis red burgundy – dating as far back as 1945 – were abruptly pulled from auction. The problem? The winemaker was certain that this particular burgundy was first produced only in 1982.

Journalist Peter Hellman would closely investigate, as a singular cast of characters – including a Kansas-born billionaire and self-proclaimed “hoarder,” a dignified Burgundian winemaker, a wine-loving young prosecutor, and a crusty FBI agent who prepared for the case by reading French Wine for Dummies – worked to unravel the biggest con in wine history. Whether driven by the love of wine or of justice, all were asking the same question: Was the mild-mannered Kurniawan himself a dupe? Or had one young man – with little experience and few connections – ensnared the world’s top winemakers, sellers, and drinkers in a web of deceit?

Join us for a glass of wine, as Ansche Chesed member and author of In Vino Duplicitas, Peter Hellman, shares the story of intrigue and forgery in the wine.