‘Blonde Bandit’ in brazen Pinot Noir heist

A US woman has taken post-tasting pilfering to a new level after being filmed taking cases of wine worth $10,000 from a Pinot Noir tasting.

The ‘Blonde Bandit’ appeared to steal more than $10,000-worth of Pinot Noir from the World of Pinot Noir tasting in Santa Barbara

Dubbed the ‘Blonde Bandit’ by US press, the woman – identified by the tasting organiser as a Las Vegas schoolteacher – struck at the end of the annual World of Pinot Noir tasting at the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara on March 4.

Security cameras captured her taking two luggage racks into the ballroom in which the tasting had been held and loading more than 20 cases of high-end Pinot Noir on to them, the Santa Barbara Independent reported.

The woman then covered the cases with sheets and wheeled the trolleys to the venue’s exit, where cameras showed she was met by two men in a truck waiting in the valet parking line.

“There’s always drunken idiots who try to steal a couple bottles at the end of the night, but this is super-calculated,” winemaker and president of the event, Leslie Mead Renaud, told the Independent.

“The fact that she had two guys at the valet and rolling luggage carts seemed pretty planned to me.

“She very authoritatively started grabbing cases of full wine,” Renaud added.

“A couple people asked if their missing wine was on the cart, because she also had linens over the boxes, but she assured people it was absolutely not their wine.”

Based on security camera footage, Renaud identified the woman as a schoolteacher who lives in Las Vegas. Renaud has since presented strong evidence – including name, birth date, phone number, address, footage of the crime and other corroborating information to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office was deliberating whether to arrest the woman, which would involve extradition from Nevada to California, the Independent said.

“They didn’t leave me with a great feeling that they would pursue this,” Renaud told the newspaper.

Now in its 16th year, the World of Pinot Noir tasting aims to bring Pinot Noir producers from around the world together with Pinot Noir enthusiasts over a weekend of tastings, seminars and dining events. The events are hosted by participating wineries and featuring sommeliers from across the US.