True crime · 8 episodes · A Foxtopus Ink production
Blood Vines
Greed, lies and murder swirled around one of the largest wine scams in U.S. history.
Blood Vines traces the rise and fall of the Licciardi family — a powerful grape-brokering dynasty whose deals helped fuel America's 1980s obsession with White Zinfandel. When federal investigators started pulling the thread on a grape-switching fraud scheme, the case took a darker turn: a key witness was shot and killed just days before he was set to testify. What followed implicated major California wineries and ended in one of the most sensational murder trials of the 1990s.
How can you ever really trust what you're drinking?
The project grew out of years of scattered local news clippings and reporting notes on the Licciardi case that Walker had been collecting since he first came across it. A Foxtopus Ink production, distributed by Wondery.
Hosted by Chris Walker
Investigative journalist
Chris Walker is a Denver-based journalist whose reporting has spanned four continents for The Atlantic, Playboy, Atavist Magazine, Vice, NPR, Rock and Ice, Forbes and LA Weekly, among others. He's an associate editor at 5280 Magazine and was previously a staff writer at Denver's alternative weekly, Westword. He also hosted Foxtopus Ink's earlier true-crime series, The Syndicate.
Episode guide
White Zin Is In 28 min
The series opens in California's Central Valley and traces a 1991 murder back to White Zinfandel, the sweet pink wine that launched America's rosé craze — and the multimillion-dollar fraud it was tied to.
The Grape Broker 27 min
Federal prosecutor Steve Lapham starts pulling the thread on a grape-switching scam and keeps running into the same name: Jack Licciardi, a broker whose deals could make or break a winery.
The House of Licciardi 32 min
The family's feuds, ambitions and secrets begin to unravel as sons Michael and Robert both angle for more power in the family business.
Murder Was the Case 28 min
The fraud investigation turns deadly when the government's key witness is shot in the head, days before he's due to testify. Was it a coincidence?
Twisted Vines 29 min
Michael's federal trial opens under the shadow of an unsolved murder. Suspicious of each other, Michael and Robert agree to meet and settle things — and it goes terribly wrong.
Tainted Wine 29 min
A major buyer gets caught covering up mislabeled wine, giving Michael a chance to avoid prison by exposing wrongdoing across the industry — while Robert's behavior grows more erratic and violent.
Hangover 42 min
Robert tries to dodge a grand jury subpoena and leads investigators on a high-speed chase across two states, kicking off one of the most sensational murder trials of the 1990s.
Confession 22 min
Just when the reporting seemed finished, a phone call pulls it all back in — and raises the question of what eight years of fallout meant for the industry, and for Jack's legacy.