"An engrossing account of wine fraud and forgery . . . Hellman clearly knows his stuff."--The Wall Street Journal "[Hellman] presents . . . the macho, competitive, one-upmanship world of the collectors, an atmosphere that perhaps contributed to their gullibility in the high-rolling economy of the early 2000s."--The New York Times "Heady, intoxicating . . . shines a light on the esoteric and intriguing world of ultrarare, ultrafine wines."--Foreword, starred review "In Vino Duplicitas is a cautionary tale of how we can let the romance of wine get the better of us. . . . None of us are immune."--Washington Post Few gain entry to the privileged world of ultrafine wines, where billionaires flock to exclusive auction houses to vie for the scarce surviving bottles from truly legendary years. But Rudy Kurniawan, an unknown twentysomething from Indonesia, was blessed with two gifts that opened doors: a virtuoso palate for wine tasting, and access to a seemingly limitless (if mysterious) supply of the world's most coveted wines. After bursting onto the scene in 2002, Kurniawan 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 was there, and he 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?

I love wine, and if anything I like more than drinking wine is sharing my knowledge and expertise about it, and this is the third wine related book that I write (see the back to know more about my other books). Although I grew up in Spain, I only discovered sherry in my 30s, and is such a hidden gem, so under valued, and so nice, that it should be shared The first thing I want to tell you is that the concept most people have about sherry is totally wrong: sherry is not a sweet wine (at least most of them are not), and is not a drink for grandmothers I will explain why and I will also explain to you why such misconception. You should buy and read this book if you want to know more about sherry, the different types, and how to choose the ones you like more, or which are more likely to go better with you; how to pair the different types of sherry with food, and know a few more things about it. I like good but simple things in life, so expect my book to be simple (and hopefully good), but do not expect to find a lot of technical information: in my experience most people want to get useful knowledge without becoming experts, and nearly everyone loves a book that it is enjoyable and easy to read, so these are my aims. Having said that, for those of you who want to know more, there are several detailed chapters giving the ins and outs of Sherry production. I hope you enjoy it, and that soon you start sharing some of the amazing sherries with your friends. I am writing something about the history of sherry, for those who want to know more, but I am doing so at the end of the book, so that if you are not interested you do not need to read the last chapter.