Wine valued at £1.3m vanishes from popular Parisian eatery 'Ratatouille restaurant'

Wine valued at more than €1.5 million has disappeared from one of Paris' most renowned restaurants, La Tour d'Argent, which served as the inspiration for the film Ratatouille. The stolen collection includes Romanée Conti, one of the world's most expensive wines. It is believed that the theft could have occurred at any time since January 2020. A complaint was filed with French police last week, but no evidence of a robbery has been found so far. The loss was discovered during a routine inventory of the restaurant's 300,000-bottle cellar, known as the largest in Paris. Around 83 bottles are believed to be missing, including wines from the famous Domaine de la Romanée-Conti estate. These wines are highly valuable, with individual bottles fetching five-figure sums. La Tour d'Argent, located in the 5th arrondissement, has a rich history and has seen its fair share of historical events. During the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1940, the restaurant's owner hid his prized bottles behind a fake wall in the cellar. The restaurant, which overlooks the River Seine and Notre Dame Cathedral, is often claimed to be the oldest in Paris, although historians dispute this. La Tour d'Argent gained fame in the 19th century and became known for its signature duck dish, canard au sang. After an extensive renovation in 2022, the restaurant reopened last year with new features including a bar, luxury hotel suite, rooftop terrace, and an open kitchen. Notable figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, Charlie Chaplin, and Salvador Dalí have dined at the restaurant. Additionally, the restaurant served as an inspiration for the animated movie Ratatouille, with the director, Brad Bird, leaving a sketch of the dining room's decorations. The BBC has reached out to La Tour d'Argent for comment.