Thieves steal nine bottles of some of world’s most expensive wines worth £100,000 from glass vault

This is the shocking moment brazen thieves break into a secure glass vault and steal nine bottles of some of the world’s most expensive wines before being chased out of the store by staff.

The daring heist, which took place at an upmarket wine warehouse in Spain’s Costa Brava, saw the robbers steal £100,000 worth of wine in broad daylight while the store was packed with customers.

Store CCTV footage shows two of the three men walking from different directions towards the tall glass vault containing only rare vintage wines on Sunday. 

One man can be seen pulling a crowbar from a fellow robber’s waistband before kneeling down in front of the sealed door of the vault. The second robber pulls a high-pressure suction cup from the front of his shorts before helping open the door.

Then – as the pair pull the glass vault door open – a third thief carrying a rucksack joins them and they all begin piling the expensive wine bottles into the bag. 

A shocked sales assistant discovered the robbers before chasing them all out of the store. One is seen vaulting across the counter of one of the store’s checkouts – narrowly avoiding another shop assistant in the process – before fleeing

CCTV footage from outside the store shows the sales assistant sprinting after the three men, who manage to cross a busy road and escape from view

The video shows how one of the thieves appeared to be directing the other two men on which of the bottles to steal, suggesting he knew which were the most rare and expensive bottles of the collection.

After loading the bottles of wine worth £100,000 into the rucksack, two of the robbers can be seen walking slowly towards the exit while the third kneels down to close his bags.

But at this moment, a shocked sales assistant discovered the robber before chasing them all out of the store. One is seen vaulting across the counter of one of the store’s checkouts – narrowly avoiding another shop assistant in the process – before fleeing.

CCTV footage from outside the store shows the sales assistant sprinting after the three men, who manage to cross a busy road and escape from view.

The horrified owners of the Vins i Licors Can Grau store in Palafrugell in the Mediterranean Costa Brava said the haul was worth £102,255 (120,000 euros). 

The bottles are reportedly worth between £850 (1,000 euros) and £25,500 (29,950 euros) each.

The owners of the store told local media that the same thieves had already attempted a heist a month ago but were then forced to abandon their haul and flee. 

The most expensive bottle stolen was reportedly a 2008 Romanee Conti worth £25,500 while the second most valuable bottle was a 2013 vintage Romanee-Conti valued at more than £21,780.

The gang also made off with two bottles of 2015 La Tache, reportedly worth £10,805 each as well as a bottle of 2015 Richebourg estimated to be worth £7,498.

The horrified owners of the Vins i Licors Can Grau store in Palafrugell in the Mediterranean Costa Brava said the haul was worth £102,255 (120,000 euros). Pictured: The wine stand where the robbers stole the bottles of wine

Pictured: A largely empty wine stand after three robbers robbed a store in Spain

Other wines stolen included a 2018 Echezeaux worth £6,400, a 2018 Romanee-Saint-Vivant worth £6,071 and a 2016 Petrus worth £4,857. They also stole a 2010 Chateau Margaux worth £1,004. 

Store co-owner Jordi Grau, 46, said: ‘We have an area of fine wines, enclosed in a showcase.

‘They opened the showcase, forced the bolt, and with a suction cup, opened the door, and from there they took high-end bottles.’

Grau added: ‘They had a backpack and they put them in the backpack, they were surprised and they ran after them, they were prepared, and they ran a lot.

‘We tried to intercept them, they jumped over the counter and there was a car waiting for them in a car park next door.’

‘The store was open to the public, there were more people and it was around twelve and it was open, at a busy time of day,’ Grau added while commending his staff for their bravery in chasing the robbers away. 

Speaking about the burglars’ previous attempt to steal from the store, he said: ‘They tried to open the showcase that has now been broken into, but they were unsuccessful back then and they opened another one next to it, which has equally fine wines, but cheaper than those that have been taken now.

‘They tried to take 12 or 13 bottles, but were spotted and left the loot behind before escaping.

‘As a result of that, we are looking for ways to improve our security, but we have not had time to implement them.

‘This week they were going to set up acoustic alarms. It seemed like they knew.’

He added that he expects the bottles to end up on a black market and that the robbery might have been commissioned.

Police are investigating the heist – which saw one of the thieves drop his mobile phone during his escape – but no arrests have yet been made.