A thief with a taste for fine wine has stolen four bottles of Penfolds Grange from a Lorne supermarket, police have alleged.
Investigators valued the haul at $2842 as they released images surveillance camera images of a potential suspect and a vehicle he was driving at the time.
Police posted the images on social media with an appeal for help to identify the “unknown” man.
The thief removed locked security doors to remove the Grange from a wine cabinet in the Food Works liquor hall at 8.30am on 16 May, police alleged.
The man then allegedly helped himself to three bottles of 2012 Grange worth $728 each and a 2004 bottle valued at $658.
“The male left the store without making any attempt to pay and drove North in a blue late ‘90s Toyota HiLux SR5 with a blue canopy,” police said.
“Investigators want to speak to the male pictured as he was in the store at the time.”
Police asked anyone with information to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, quoting incident number 180178132.
The Lorne incident was among a number of thefts from local liquor retailers in recent weeks, with the most recent involving a heist from Belmont’s Ban Murphy’s on Sunday.
Police alleged that two unknown women entered the Belmont story around 4.30pm when they “selected” two bottles of vodka and a 10-pack of Woodstock cans.
The pair then left “without making payment”.
Police valued the haul at $120.
