Spy documentary revisits Peter Sichel’s CIA past

A new documentary called The Last Spy tells the fascinating story of Peter Sichel, the German-born wine merchant who became famous for transforming Blue Nun into one of the world's most recognisable wine brands. Before his wine career, Sichel had an unlikely past as a CIA operative and Berlin station chief during the Cold War, and the film explores both chapters of his remarkable life. Sichel, who passed away in February 2025 at the age of 102, remains one of the wine trade's most intriguing figures, having grown up in his family's Mainz winery before fleeing Nazi Germany and eventually revolutionising the wine industry.