A real steal

Staff opening up Glengarry's flagship Victoria Park store in Auckland one morning just over a month ago, arrived to find they'd been beaten to it. Thieves had completely destroyed the alarm system and, as it came to be discovered, had helped themselves to over $250,000 worth of stock over a three-hour period.

Possibly connected with a similarly sophisticated burglary at Liquorland in Parnell the night before and a botched break-in at the Fine Wine Delivery Company that same day, its perpetrators certainly knew their stuff, cherry picking some of Glengarry's top products in a haul that included a magnum of Chateau Latour from the highly rated 2005 vintage and a jeroboam of Dom Perignon encased in white gold.

Petty pilfering beleaguers most bottle shops, but Glengarry buyer Liz Wheadon said they'd never experienced anything quite like this: "We're all devastated that the wine is gone: there were some very rare items in this lot."

The company is so concerned that it's offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to recovery of the goods.

"There is a great video on our website of the footage from [the burglary]," says Wheadon. "The police are working hard on tracking the thieves down, but if anyone does know either of the two in the video or anything about it, we'd love to hear from them."

Theft is not the only wine crime. Counterfeiting of fine wines is on the increase internationally, with one contemporary high-profile case concerning bottles sold by a German dealer to US billionaire wine collector William Koch as once belonging to US President Thomas Jefferson that Koch alleges are fakes.

Given the extent and cost of wine counterfeiting there have been a growing number of innovations developed to help combat the issue, which include tamper-proof seals that ensure bottles aren't refilled with lesser wines, concealed codes and markings, to corks kitted out with radio frequency identification tags, storing data on the wine that can be read by distributors and buyers. A bottle's glass can also now be dated and the age of its contents more accurately assessed through chemical analysis.

There have also been a fair few scandals in traditional winemaking regions in particular through the regular flouting of their appellation laws. One recent instance was in Italy's Brunello di Montalcino, where it was alleged producers had been blending sangiovese with non-permitted varieties. This may not seem so heinous to us here in New Zealand, where there are no rules stipulating the grapes we can combine, but within Italy's strict system it's a matter to be taken seriously.

Other wine frauds involve investors either being made to pay over the odds for wines by dishonest brokers, or putting their money into advance purchases that never materialise. Luckily, given the undeveloped nature of our fine wine market, these are still rare here.

"In my experience I've not encountered any scams like these - or counterfeit wines in New Zealand," says Luke Batchelar of Batchelar Fine & Rare Wine. "However, the New Zealand market is growing, which means anyone looking to invest in wine needs to be more careful about where they purchase their fine wine from."

It's a case of buyer beware. If you're offered fine wine from an unknown source, it may not be what it seems or even come with criminal connections.


HONEST DROPS

NV VALUE

Stonecroft Crofters Hawkes Bay Syrah NV $19-$20
It's rare to see non-vintage still wines, but Stonecroft has been making its competitively priced Crofters NV for the last decade from lots that don't fit into its main blends. This is still good stuff, as illustrated by its most recent release, an attractively aromatic syrah from predominantly the 2007 vintage, with its fragrant black pepper over tangy red berries and plum. (From Accent On Wine, La Vino, Caro's, Fine Wine Delivery Company, www.truewines.co.nz)

LIMESTONE LOVELY

Northfield Home Creek Vineyard Waipara Valley Pinot Noir 2007 $27.95
Just the second vintage from new Waipara estate, Northfield, its pinot shows plenty of promise in its fresh and silky berry fruit interleaved with delicate floral notes, subtle toasty oak and nutmeg spice. (From Bacchus Cellars, Wine Vault, Hauraki Cellars, Red Beach Super Liquor, Princes Wharf Wines and Spirits, Branos, Crown Liquor, Albany Super Liquor, Liquorlands in Albany, Mt Eden, Parnell.)

ITALIAN STYLE

Poderi Crisci Waiheke Island Pinot Grigio 2008 $29
A fresh, food-friendly pinot gris from Italian restaurateur, Antonio Crisci made in a grigio style that's deliciously dry with ripe but crisp apple fruit spiced with pepper and sandalwood. (From Accent on Wine, Waiheke Wine Centre.)