Exclusive: Ponsonby wine heist - $35,000 of rare vintages stolen in alleged targeted operation

A torch-wielding burglar surveys the rare vintages before making his selection. Photo / Supplied

A brazen booze burglary has left a Ponsonby wine retailer devastated and wondering whether the $35,000 worth of rare vintages were stolen to order.

Her suspicions are shared by a top Kiwi wine critic, who said the list of stolen bottles could have been drawn up by a highly refined connoisseur.

The wines, some irreplaceable, were removed from the cellar beneath Glengarry Wines in Herne Bay and include a Bordeaux costing more than $2000 a bottle.

An audit revealed 56 bottles were taken with a total value of just over $35,000. Also taken were three 12-packs of beer and some sparkling wine.

The wine chain's general manager said the raid was "incredibly hard and devastating", hitting the business' original store.

Police have yet to track down the three masked burglars who targeted the wine shop shortly after midnight on Thursday, September 15, or recover any of the dozens of fine vintages taken.

CCTV footage of the raid obtained by the Weekend Herald shows the trio working efficiently as they carefully choose which bottles to steal. At one point, a man appears to be taking directions on the phone.

A torch-wielding burglar surveys the rare vintages before making his selection. Photo / Supplied

They ignored bottles of spirits from popular brands, easier to flog on the black market, and instead opted for rare and expensive wines.

Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, is among New Zealand's foremost wine educators, judges and critics.

He said the list of stolen wines suggested the burglars or whoever paid them knew what they were doing.

"It's a very impressive list of wines," he said.

"You start to build a profile. You've got a pretty serious wine enthusiast."

Glengarry third and fourth generation family members Aroha (left) and Angie Jakicevich in the wine cellar at Glengarry Wines Jervois Rd in Ponsonby where dozens of prized vintages were stolen last week. Photo / Dean Purcell

Campbell said everything about the stolen wines suggested they were intended to be drunk or served, not individually sold for easy cash.

In any case, the wines would now be so hot as to be unsellable in New Zealand, in his view.

Campbell said some bottles on the list were on the obscure side, the choice of the connoisseur not the burglar.

They included the "fairly esoteric" Gagliardo Barolo Serre Docg 2005 ($299).

"It's a wine enthusiast's choice, not a burglar's choice."

Also stolen were several bottles of port, including a 1994 Taylor's Vintage costing $549.99.

The most expensive bottles stolen were Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion - two of these costing $2215 each were taken.

And the thieves' wine cellar now boasts what Campbell said was likely the most expensive New Zealand bottle, the Waiheke-grown Destiny Bay Magna Praemia 2015 ($620).

"The motive is definitely good wine rather than cash."

Glengarry Wines general manager Liz Wheadon said the burglary was doubly devastating because it targeted the wine chain's original store, dating back to the 1940s.

"It is the family's original site, so this is cutting quite hard for the family as you'd imagine."

The business was started by Croatian immigrant Josef Jakicevich, whose hard graft as a stonemason in Auckland allowed him to buy 10 acres (4ha) at Glengarry Rd in West Auckland and plant a vineyard.

Glengarry general manager Liz Wheadon. Photo / Dean Purcell

He obtained one of the first two wine-resellers licences in 1948 for the Jervois Rd site, a greengrocer he opened the year before.

Jak Jakicevich, Josef's grandson, dug the cellar beneath the store where the burglars went to work.

Like Campbell, Wheadon does not believe the raid was a random, opportunistic crime.

"Someone is being paid to steal this," Wheadon said.

Unlike many ram raids and smash-and-grabs in Auckland, the burglary was carried out by grown men working with single-minded determination.

Their getaway vehicle, if they used one, was not captured on any of the store's surveillance cameras.

Wheadon said the thieves jemmied open windows at the back of the store before making their way through the neighbouring Dida's Wine Lounge and down into the cellar.

The men made a first attempt at the store, then hung back for a time before going in, the CCTV footage showed.

Wheadon believes they were waiting to see what the security response would be before proceeding. She said they knew the layout of the store and thought they would have cased the joint before the operation.

The footage shows one man assessing the wines with the aid of a torch, checking the labels before loading them into a tub.

Broken doors in the Glengarry Jervois Rd store's cellar. Photo / Dean Purcell

"There is one period where the person directing the traffic, if you like, is definitely on the phone," she said.

"And some of the selections seem to be driven by whoever they were talking to."

All are gloved, masked and wear hoods or hats. No identifying features such as tattoos are readily visible and they do not look intoxicated.

One of the burglars carries a tub of fine wine during the heist. Photo / Supplied

"It's not like they've sort of gone and got all the bottles sitting in one row and shoved them in a bag or anything.

"It looks like they're standing there going, yes, we'll have that one. No, we won't have that one.

"There's a high price on all of these. But then other stuff down there that has high prices they didn't take."

A police spokeswoman said they were still investigating and no arrests had yet been made.

"At this stage our inquiries are ongoing into the burglary, which includes establishing the circumstances and who is responsible."

Wheadon, who herself managed the Herne Bay store for several years before rising through the ranks of the company, said insurance would come through for the stolen wines.

But there was no insurance that could cover the emotional toll on the staff who treasured the vintages.

"Incredibly hard and devastating," she said.

"You hope those kind of wines are drunk and enjoyed by someone who appreciates them."

Anyone with information can contact police via 105 or online quoting reference file number 220915/8238.