The Crazy Story of the Million Dollar Wine Scam

They paid thousands for a glass of “Bordeaux”—but it was $3 wine with a fake label.

In the early 1970s, Europe’s wine elite were blindsided by a master forger who fooled the world’s top sommeliers, collectors, and five-star restaurants. Claude Berrouet, a small-time dealer, began bottling cheap blends in dusty old bottles, slapping on vintage Château labels, and selling them as rare French wine. And it worked—too well. His fakes ended up in U.S. auction houses, Michelin-star cellars, and the homes of billionaires.

By the time the con unraveled, Berrouet had made millions—and most of the fakes had been consumed or disappeared into cellars, never to be tested. The scandal exposed deep flaws in wine authentication and trust within the industry. What’s worse? Some of those fake vintages are still in circulation today.

Was it a crime of taste, or a masterclass in deception?

☕ Support the channel
buymeacoffee.com/silent.evidence

📚 Read our crime thrillers
The 7 She Saw ➤ cutt.ly/OrsBBiFR
A Perfect Wife ➤ cutt.ly/IrsBNyWa
Detective Kit for Kids ➤ cutt.ly/nrsB1us4

🔖 Hashtags:
#truecrime #unsolvedheist #diamondheist #antwerpmystery #heistofthecentury #crimestory #shortdocumentary #aiyoutubestory #coldcasefiles #realcrime #notarbartolo #unsolvedcrimes #missingdiamonds #vaultbreakin #silentEvidence