$24,000 Burgundy returned after bizarre wine theft case
Two rare bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti stolen from a Virginia restaurant cellar have resurfaced months after an alleged international fine wine heist involving wigs, fake identities and a fugitive Serbian suspect.
Two bottles of high-value Burgundy stolen from L’Auberge Provençale have been returned to authorities after vanishing for nearly five months.
According to reporting from The Washington Post, the wines resurfaced shortly before sentencing proceedings for Natali Ray, a British woman accused of participating in the theft.
The recovered bottles included a 2020 Romanée Conti previously valued at US$24,000 and a 2019 Richebourg valued at around US$7,000, both from Domaine de la Romanée Conti in Burgundy.
The bottles were returned to investigators through Ray’s son after being delivered anonymously to a public defender’s office by an unidentified man reportedly speaking with an Eastern European accent.
Elaborate cellar distraction allegedly used
The alleged theft took place in November 2025 when Ray and a second suspect, Serbian national Nikola Krndija, visited the Virginia restaurant posing as potential clients arranging a luxury private dinner.
According to prosecutors, Ray used the alias “Stephanie Jacobs” and claimed to represent a Canadian finance executive interested in hosting an expensive event.
While staff gave the pair a tour of the cellar, Krndija allegedly concealed valuable bottles inside specially modified pockets sewn into an overcoat.
The suspects reportedly used wigs and disguises during the visit, with surveillance footage later showing the pair inside the restaurant’s cellar.
A chase followed after the theft was discovered, ending with Ray being detained while Krndija allegedly escaped in a getaway vehicle before boarding a flight to Vienna.
Court hears concerns over wine value
Although the bottles have now been recovered, restaurant owners Alain and Celeste Borel argue the wines have effectively lost much of their value.
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In the world of fine wine, provenance and storage conditions are critical to market price. The Borels said there is now no way to prove the wines were kept under correct temperature and humidity conditions during the 145 days they were missing.
“Nobody is going to pay US$24,000 not knowing how the wine was kept,” Alain Borel told The Washington Post.
The couple also raised concerns about possible tampering.
“It’s like not knowing the chain of custody for evidence,” Celeste Borel said.
British defendant sentenced
Ray, 57, pleaded guilty to charges including grand larceny, possession of burglary tools and defrauding a restaurant or inn.
Judge Alexander R Iden sentenced her to 12 months in jail, with credit given for time already served.
Her defence lawyer argued Ray had no previous criminal history and highlighted her background in education, theatre work and literary translation, alongside ongoing treatment for a rare blood cancer.
The attorney later described the case as resembling “an episode of Scooby Doo”, citing wigs, specially sewn coats and the mysterious reappearance of the bottles.
International fine wine thefts continue
The case adds to growing concern over organised fine wine thefts targeting restaurants and collectors.
As previously reported by the drinks business, prosecutors alleged the pair targeted some of Burgundy’s most valuable wines during the Virginia cellar theft, including bottles from Domaine de la Romanée Conti.
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