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After burglaries in Spanish and German restaurants as well as in the warehouse of the distributor Fine Wine in Austria, restaurants in Norway have now also become victims of targeted wine thefts. The now closed Tollboden Hotel and Restaurant was already broken into on 19 and 22 November and "several bottles of Domaine Romanée-Conti (DRC) La Tâche, Mugnier Musigny and top Bordeaux such as Mouton-Rothschild and older bottles of Château Palmer" were stolen, as sommelier Francesco Marzola reports. The cellars were secured by electronic locks.
According to the online restaurant guide Starwinelist.com, another, unnamed Norwegian top restaurant was the victim of wine theft during the same period. It is possible that a third restaurant was affected. What is striking in all the thefts is the professional and targeted approach of the perpetrators, who are looking for Burgundies from DRC, Liger-Belair and Coche-Dury. In the burglary at Fine Wine, bottles from Harlan Estate were specifically stolen.
One reason for the current wave of wine crime is probably the enormous increase in prices for top wines. Burgundies in particular have increased by 100 percent or more in 2022. It is suspected that the thefts are commissioned works and that the wines disappear in private cellars because it would be very difficult to sell them via traders and auctions.
(al / Source: Starwineguide; Photo: Facebook.com/Tollbodenrestaurant)