A high-end Paris restaurant lost its precious wine collection when thieves stole over 750 bottles (worth about €60‚000) from its cellar in early nov-2024. The un-named establishment which is known for its traditional French cooking and high-quality wine selection had bottles priced up to €2‚000 each
The theft highlights a growing problem in Paris fine-dining scene — wine related crimes have gone up since about 5 years ago. Jérôme Baudouin from La Revue du vin de France explains: some Burgundy wines that cost €50 ten years ago now sell for €400‚ making them a target for criminals who can fit many cases in their car-trunk
Notable cases include the famous Tour dʼArgent restaurant which lost 80 premium bottles this january; the theft happened without any break-in signs and wasnt noticed until stock check. Another case happened at Maison Rostang (a fancy place near Champs-Élysées) where thieves dug a 50cm hole in the wall to get in — they took wines worth €400‚000
These stolen bottles end up in a hidden market but its hard to sell them. “High-value numbered wines cant be sold legally“ says Aude Legrand who works with wine merchants; its like having stolen art — you need special buyers (and wine sellers are very careful about checking where bottles come from)