I found this book dry with some interesting bits...which works for wine but not for books. Fascinating material but execution was lacking.

Rudy Kurniawan is basically the greatest scammer of the ultra-rich, who have an interest in collecting wine.. Rudy burst onto the wine scene and became the "hot item" in the early 2000s. He eventually capitalized on his own myth to fool those who thought they were his friends.by using old wine mixed with new to convince them they were buying rare wine for thousands of dollars. Peter Hellman has composed and excellent account of the shocking revelations about the wine elite,

The author has done an excellent job of narrating what was a very, very complex story and it's easy to see the full investment he had in following this story for the years that it took. He does a very good job at points of telling the story from the perspective of others who were involved yet at times the rather dense wine facts are going to be a bit hard for the casual reader to follow along, even though telling them was done admirably.

Hellman's background in journalism and writing for wine publications really shines through in the meticulous research. This true crime, mostly unknown beyond those who breathe the rarefied air of fine wine collecting, makes for fascinating reading. If you're interested in wine collecting, or true crime, especially cleverly executed white-collar crime, be sure to add this one to your permanent collection.

In Vino Duplicitas is both the story of an intriguing con man and a fascinating peek into the world of rare and ultrafine wines. Most readers have probably not thought much about wines beyond the occasional reasonably priced bottle pulled out for special occasions. This book opens the doors to small fraction of society that regularly pays tens of thousands (if not more) dollars for the rarest and most sought after vintages. Rudy Kurniawan worked his way into this world with an incredibly talented palate and an equally incredible amount of charm and hutzpah. Rudy's skill in pulling off his fraud and the efforts of law enforcement to catch him at it make for an engaging story.

Hellman chronicles the story of Rudy Kurniawan, a young wine connoisseur whose practices and wine dealings/transactions may not be one hundred percent reliable. A journalist with articles found in Wine Spectator, Hellman interviews a cast of characters who interacted with Kurniawan. Along the way, Hellman takes readers on a history lesson of rare wines.

Parts of Hellman’s nonfiction narrative were fascinating – details from interviews and trials, as well as remarks made by people who knew Kurniawan. At other times, the narrative was slow. The writing style has a journalistic flair; not a criticism, but a style that took some time to follow. This is also a very current topic in the wine world, with litigations and repercussions still being felt among collectors and auction houses. I was unfamiliar with the case prior to this book, so it was very insightful. I cannot attest to any additional information covered in this book that had been covered in news articles or other accounts of events that took place.

Overall, it was an interesting introductory look at a man who really made the wine world think about provenance and authenticity, as well as the basic principles of truth and justice.

**Review made available on Goodreads and LibraryThing (links to reviews provided with this submission) and a brief review on Litsy - @librarybelle **

All the elements of a great story are there including the fact that this is based on actual events. However, for some reason the story just didn't come together for me.

Thought provoking. An interesting read.................

I thought this book would be right up my alley as I love true crime and a good glass of wine. I think I was expecting an easy-flowing narrative read but found myself confused by all the ultra-fine wine, auctions, labels and the art of faking a bottle of vino. I did not finish the book, rare for me, so feel I cannot give an honest review. I thank the publisher and author for access to this book.

I would love to read this but cannot download to my kindle.

Hellman has written a book about one of the greatest wine frauds to have ever taken place. Rudy Kurniawan was a young man who misrepresented himself as a seller of extremely rare wines. Unfortunately, it was found that he was a total fraud.
This episode was covered much better, and more succinctly, in the October 14th, 2016 issue of the New Yorker by Bianca Bosker. I found very little new or interesting information in this book. It appears that the author was "scooped".

An fascinating glimpse into how one of the most successful fraudsters in the 21st century managed to upended an entire industry and fooled so many people who considered themselves experts in wine. Even though the trial has finished there are still so many unresolved questions surrounding the mystery that is Ruddy.

Looks like an interesting tale. Waiting for it to be available on Kindle.

From the title and description, I was expecting a duplicitous story centered around wine. I love wine, and I love duplicity, but this read like a textbook on how to make, label, and market wine. While the author is clearly an expert in his field, I couldn't differentiate the story from the history lesson. Maybe they were meant to be one and the same?

I really enjoyed this book. I first saw this story on American Greed, and this gave a more detailed description of the story. I will probably read this again in the future.