They say there’s no rest for the wicked, but apparently there is plenty of wine for them. Thieves have recently targeted the cellars of wine-focused restaurants in Norway and Spain, as well as at retailer-grower Kracher in Austria.
The spate of robberies-which are not believed to be linked in any way, other than great taste in wine—began in Norway in early November when thieves broke into Park 29 restaurant in Oslo, owned by Fridtjof Bade. They took 264 bottles representing Barolo, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Côte-Rôtie, while bypassing a selection of top Champagnes, suggesting to Bade that they knew what they'd come for. Had they checked out the wine list in advance? The perpetrators apparently left no trace, and Bade says the wines, valued at $120,000 to $200,000, are nigh impossible to replace.
Along the Norwegian coast, hotel-restaurant Tollboden, owned by Fredensborg Hospitality, was robbed twice in November, according to sommelier Francesco Marzola, who works for Fredensborg. "We had, unfortunately, two break-ins at our cellar in Kragerø, in Norway, the past few weeks," wrote Marzola on his Facebook page.
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