Wine thieves go on trial

A gang of wine thieves accused of stealing a million euros worth of wine from some of Bordeaux’s top estates has gone on trial in France.

Château Palmer was one of the estates targeted by the thieves.

Fifteeen defendants went before a court in Bordeaux this Monday accused of stealing thousands of bottles of wine from estates such as Yquem, Palmer, Léoville Las Cases among others in a rash of thefts that occurred in 2013 and earlier.

The gang were rounded up in “Operation Cassevin” in February 2014 when hundreds of gendarmes swooped on known suspects in the Gironde and other areas in France.

As well as finding equipment the gang is claimed to have used in its burglaries, police recovered “many hundreds” of bottles from the estates in question.

Tribunal hearings are expected to last until Thursday 25 June.