Thieves swipe award-winning German Pinot Noir harvest

First-class German winegrowers Joachim Jaillet and Stephan Attmann from the winery "Von Winning" have suffered the devastating loss of their grapes right before harvest time. But the culprit was neither frost nor hungry birds. Thieves armed with harvest machines managed to go unnoticed as they plucked several tons of grapes from the vines overnight.
 

They were supposed to be turned into a premium red wine, but 3rd week of september 2011 grapes at a southwestern German vineyard disappeared overnight just ahead of the scheduled harvest. Thieves are believed to have plucked some 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds) of the high-quality fruit from the vine under the cover of night, Deidesheim winegrower Stephen Attmann said.

"We are suffering spiritually, not just financially, over this loss," states Attmann.

The grape grabbers were so bold they even brought in a harvest machine to the "Von Winning" vineyard named "Herrgottsacker" to remove the Spätburgunder variety, also known as Pinot Noir, estimated to be worth some €100,000 ($137,000).