Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks

The “most expensive bottle of wine ever sold at auction” (1) was believed to be from the private collection of Thomas Jefferson, due to the initials carved on it. The wine expert at auction house Christie’s of London attested to the wine’s quality and age.

Bottles from Jefferson’s collection soon became important collectibles. One collector is Fred Koch, the son of the founder of Koch Industries, who became a wealthy businessman in his own right. When Koch sought more documentation of his putative 1787 Jefferson bottle prior to a public exhibition of his various material and cultural acquisitions, he consulted with the Monticello estate and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which were unable to verify the bottle’s provenance.

Keefe first meets Koch at his large mansion in West Palm Beach, Florida. Koch is an enthusiastic collector of art and cultural objects who became a wine devotee after health problems left him unable to consume other alcohol. Keefe notes that Koch is particularly fond of lawsuits to redress his grievances. Koch was outraged to discover his 1787 bottle was a scam, semi-angrily telling Keefe, “it’s a fun puzzle” (4) to understand how the fake wine came into being.

Koch’s mystery develops in a time when counterfeit vintages are increasing in prevalence.