$65,000 Worth Of High-End Wine Stolen As Landmark Peninsula Store Closes

MENLO PARK, CA — A family-owned wine store and Menlo Park staple that is closing this weekend was targeted in its last month of operation by burglars who stole high-end wines, the general manager of the store said.

Beltramo's Wines & Spirits at 1540 El Camino Real had expensive and collectible wine bottles stolen on the night of July 14, general manager Diana Beltramo Hewitt said.

The burglary occurred just days before the store, which originally opened in 1882, will close its doors for good on Saturday with the retirement of its owners.

Menlo Park police responded at 9:46 p.m. on July 14 to the store and found a broken glass door and up to $65,000 worth of merchandise stolen, police spokeswoman Nicole Acker said.

Collectible wines had just come out of the store's lockup for display with the announcement of the upcoming store closing, Beltramo Hewitt said.

Some of the wines had a retail price upwards of $1,200.

The suspects apparently grabbed only the expensive and resalable bottles, Beltramo Hewitt said.

"It was very intentional, very deliberate," she said.

Acker said Thursday that the suspects were still at large. Surveillance video captured the incident, but it was of very low quality, she said.

-By Bay City News, image via Joopey/Flickr