Ep 12: Lies on the Label and Other Wine Crimes

Felicity and Lulie investigate the murky world of wine and spirits fraud — from harmless fakes to lethal counterfeits.

They start with historic wine scandals that rocked Austria and Italy in the 1980s, where illicit additives led to injury and even death. From there, they explore the modern world of counterfeiting: billionaires tricked by fake Romanée-Conti, questionable Thomas Jefferson bottles, and the infamous case of Rudy Kurniawan, whose kitchen doubled as a counterfeit factory.

Lulie introduces her framework for understanding deception in drinks — “fake, fraud or faux” — and the duo discuss how fakes can turn up anywhere, as in the case of $10,000 fake whisky served in a luxury Swiss hotel.

Also covered:

• Counterfeit bulk wine sold as French

• The Gallo Pinot Noir scandal

• Methanol poisoning in Southeast Asia

• Why counterfeit spirits can blind or kill

• Efforts to authenticate bottles using technology and carbon dating

• How fake wine might still be sitting in collections around the world

Plus: undercover sommeliers, Elvis impersonators, and cheap wine confessions.

Got a question for us? Email us at [email protected] and it might just become our next episode.

Please note: the story of the Jefferson bottles and Hardy Rodenstock is covered in public record sources including The Billionaire’s Vinegar. No assertion is made about events not publicly documented.

Meet Your Hosts:

Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years.

Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor, speaker trainer and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly.