The theft occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, according to Jose Polo, one of the owners of Atrio, a complex of a two-Michelin-star hotel and restaurant that houses a cellar containing more than 40,000 bottles of wine in the Spanish city of Caceres, which is the site of World Heritage Sites.
“They were professionals, they knew exactly what they were doing,” Polo said after deciding to announce the theft through a letter to clients and friends, adding that the suspects, a man and a woman who spoke English and gave the staff the impression they were an upscale couple, checked into the hotel and dined. in his restaurant.
Polo said they asked the hotel front desk clerk to serve them more food and when he went into the kitchen, leaving the CCTV screens unattended, the man crept into the cellar and stole bottles of wine.
The couple checked out in the early hours of Wednesday, paid with a credit card and left with bags full of wine bottles.
No one noticed the size of the bags as they left, Polo said, one of which included a bottle of wine from 1806 and at least six other bottles from the 19th century from the exclusive Romane-Conte winery in Burgundy, France.
Polo said he did not calculate the total value of the stolen wines, which were insured, but that their symbolic value was greater.
Polo noted that the couple likely worked for a private wine collector because they stole bottles that could not be sold on the open market.
“These bottles are numbered and well known in the sector, and the Château d’Equim 1806 wine bottle is unique. Everyone knows it’s ours,” he added, adding that industry experts would note if it was offered for sale.
A police spokesman in Caceres said an investigation had been opened into the theft, but declined to provide further details.
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