Discovering Stalin's million-dollar wine cellar

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In 1998, Australian wine merchant John Baker was puzzled when he received a cryptic message and a list of wines he, on initial inspection, had never heard of. Once he cracked the code, he realised it was a cellar of around 40,000 bottles - including some of the most expensive wines ever produced. It was being offered for a million dollars, and had apparently been hidden away in the republic of Georgia by former head of the Soviet Union, Josef Stalin. Could he secure a deal? This programme was first broadcast in December 2020. Get in touch: [email protected] Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Katy Takatsuki (Photo: John Baker in the wine cellar. Credit: John Baker) 'Stalin's Wine Cellar' is by John Baker and Nick Place