Jump to content News Business Sport Opinion Politics World Money Life Style Travel Culture Subscribe now Free for one month Log in See all News THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE £1.25 MILLION WINE HEIST BY TIM MOORE Cáceres, 27 October 2021. When the wine waiter opened the cellar doors that afternoon, his brow furrowed. An empty rack right inside the entrance, and another two beside it. There would be an innocent explanation, he told himself. Atrio, one of Spain’s most esteemed hotel-restaurants, was the proud home of the country’s greatest wine collection. It was not unknown for the odd bottle to be taken out for promotional purposes, or moved around for a photo shoot. With quickening steps he headed for the tiny vault that accommodated Atrio’s crown jewels: an unrivalled collection of Château d’Yquem, the most coveted white wine on earth. In silent horror he scanned those hallowed shelves: every one of the most ancient vintages, stretching back to the age of Napoleon, had vanished. Someone had been into the cellar, and left with 45 bottles of wine worth more than £1 million. And they had done so without leaving a trace. In the panicked trauma that unfolded, thoughts turned to the middle-aged couple who had booked a table for two and a room for the night the previous evening. The hotel manager remembered the woman’s wig, and the short-sleeved shirt that showed off the man’s thick biceps. The waiter said they seemed out of place in the restaurant, picking at their Michelin-starred courses in awkward silence. The night receptionist reported that they’d ordered room service in the middle of the night, and left just before dawn. When the footage from the security camera outside the cellar was reviewed, the manager already knew what it would show. As fine-wine values went through the roof, bad people got in the game. Career criminals saw easy pickings. Unscrupulous middlemen didn’t care where big-money bottles came from, and nor did many of the seriously moneyed collectors who bought from them. In a world where nobody asks questions, what hope do the Spanish police and Atrio’s bereft owners have of finding answers? The sommelier team at Atrios When the first tiny, immaculately presented dish in Atrio’s €195 tasting menu arrived at the table, the couple stared at their plates in frank bewilderment. ‘They did not seem familiar with this type of dining,’ says Carmina Márquez, manager of the twoMichelin-starred restaurant and boutique hotel in historic Cáceres, a beguiling cluster of palm trees, turrets and towers marooned amid the leathery plains of Extremadura in western Spain.... To continue reading this article... Start your free one-month trial Stay expertly informed on your schedule with unlimited access to our award-winning website and exclusive app. Cancel anytime. Start your free trial One month free, then £1 per month for three months. Already a subscriber? Log in Related Topics Wine, Spain, Europe, Crime, Telegraph Magazine, Telegraph long reads Twitter Icon Facebook Icon WhatsApp Icon Email Icon 46 The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our commenting policy. Show comments Twitter Icon Facebook Icon WhatsApp Icon Email Icon Comment speech bubble 46 More from News US intelligence warns Russia preparing for new Ukraine invasion By Campbell MacDiarmid 4 Dec 2021, 5:37pm Matt cartoons – December 2021 4 Dec 2021, 5:32pm Woke activists, take note: there is no public appetite for erasing British history DAVID ABULAFIA 4 Dec 2021, 5:00pm ‘Lenient’ sentence for Arthur Labinjo-Hughes’ abusers referred to Attorney General By Steve Bird 4 Dec 2021, 5:00pm Fear over rising Covid cases in Spain and Italy as northern wave heads south By Jennifer Rigby 4 Dec 2021, 4:28pm Students should sue their striking lecturers SIMON HEFFER 4 Dec 2021, 4:00pm More from The Telegraph Kirstie Allsopp: 'Covid has definitely revealed a mealy-mouthed gutlessness in people' Ghislaine Maxwell squirms as Jeffrey Epstein's massage table is unfolded at her trial Our big midlife gamble: why we left our perfect London life for a French dream My wife was 'disappeared' by China's elite – now I want to expose their corruption The EU’s reckless raid on the City is a danger to the world I found myself wondering if my neighbour’s 60-year-old dad should be taking me out on a date? Back to top Follow us on: Contact us About us Telegraph Extra Reader Prints Branded Content Syndication and Commissioning Guidelines Privacy Terms and Conditions Advertising Terms Fantasy Sport UK Voucher Codes Betting Offers Modern Slavery Manage Cookies © Telegraph Media Group Limited 2021