A German Jewish refugee, he became a decorated CIA officer, facing off with the Soviets in Berlin, before resigning to lead his family’s wine business.

He played a crucial role in the early days of the C.I.A., as a station chief in Cold War Berlin and Hong Kong, before shifting gears to popularize Blue Nun wine.

After escaping Nazi Germany, Sichel found success first as a spymaster and then as the force behind Blue Nun and other wines

Peter Sichel, who has died aged 102, was a German Jewish émigré to the US who oversaw postwar CIA activities in Eastern Europe and the Far East until, disillusioned, he resigned to take over his family’s wine import business.

Peter M.F. Sichel, famed as a wine merchant and authority on German wines, died at the age of 102 on February 24, 2025. Had he only been known within wine circles as a charismatic connoisseur, he would stand in the top ranks of international merchants and authors like Hugh Johnson,