About this episode

This episode explores the infamous wine fraud case of Rudy Kurniawan and the elite world of wine collecting that enabled it.

Episode 113: True Wine Crime - The Rudy Kurniawan Story Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 13:53 Release Date: May 28th 2026 Join the Wine Educate Newsletter Get wine tips, episode updates, and exclusive content delivered to your inbox. Subscribe at https://mailchi.mp/6648859973ba/newsletter Episode Description The fourth installment of the True Wine Crime series tackles one of the most infamous fraud cases in wine history - the story of Rudy Kurniawan, a young Indonesian-born wine obsessive who infiltrated the elite world of Burgundy collecting in the early 2000s and spent years selling meticulously forged bottles to some of the wealthiest collectors in the world. What makes this story so compelling is not just the scale of the fraud - though it was enormous - but the world that made it possible. Fine wine prices were exploding, auction rooms were packed with hedge fund managers and Hollywood elites competing for rare bottles, and trust was built on generosity and shared obsession rather than due diligence. Rudy understood that world better than almost anyone, and he used that understanding to his advantage. Joanne walks through the rise and fall of Dr. Conti, as Rudy became…

People in this episode

Host: Joanne Close

Topics covered

• wine fraud
• Rudy Kurniawan
• Burgundy wine
• wine collecting
• wine history

Keywords

• wine crime
• fraud
• Rudy Kurniawan
• Burgundy
• wine collecting
• fine wine

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Burgundy

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