Indictments uncorked over stolen French Laundry wine

Two Northern California men have been indicted for allegedly transporting expensive wine that was stolen from restaurants in Yountville and Cupertino.

Alfred Georgis, 53 of Mountain View and Davis Kiryakoz, 44, of Modesto are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport stolen goods and two counts of transportation of stolen goods, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

The thefts began in March 2013 when approximately 142 bottles of wine were stolen from a San Francisco wine merchant, according to the indictment.

Approximately 39 bottles of wine were taken during a burglary at Alexander’s Steakhouse in Cupertino in November 2014 and approximately 100 bottles were taken during a burglary at the French Laundry in Yountville on Christmas Day 2014, according to the indictment.

French Laundry staff said the 76 bottles of stolen wine was worth $300,000. Seventy-two bottles of the wine were recovered in January 2015 in North Carolina from a wine buyer who was not aware the wine was stolen, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.

Georgis and Kiryakoz were arrested Wednesday and appeared Thursday in U.S. District Court in Fresno and San Jose. Kiryakoz was released and Georgis was detained pending a bail hearing on May 4, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The FBI, Napa County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department and San Francisco Police Department participated in the investigation.