Neither the arrest of the alleged thieves nor their trial can exasperate the Gueridón de Oro they will receive in the next edition of Gastronomika
It’s been a crazy year. Or maybe forty. But this one, the ins and outs of his house have gone around the world. Ever since José Polo embarked on the adventure with Toño Pérez to set up a luxury restaurant like Atrio in Cáceres, his life – and that of the discreet provincial town – has been a whirlwind of emotions. The penultimate chapter was written by a Mexican lady and a Romanian criminal after they allegedly robbed one of the most prestigious wineries in the world. In anticipation of a turbulent autumn, with a media trial looming, Polo longs to return to San Sebastián Gastronomika, where he will receive the Gueridón de Oro Award for an impeccable career that stolen bottles cannot embitter.
-The robbery is a chore, but they still have a movie life left…
-The truth is, we’ve already been offered to do a television series, but we don’t want to go down in history like those whose wine was stolen.
How do you feel about the trial ahead?
We’ve turned the page. It was very painful, we spent two months with a continuous feeling of sadness. We hit the pothole, the insurance took over an amount we negotiated, and we moved on. The people of Cáceres were charming and very affectionate. They feel like they have stolen some of the city’s heritage. But it has also been said that the theft was orchestrated by us to collect the insurance. We already know that Spain is the land of envy…
– Do you think the wine will appear?
-I’m convinced it was an order and they won’t say who they sold the bottles to. Someone who can plan such a heist must be pretty scary when you spill the beans. If they had them, maybe we could find them. We spoke to the insurance company, now the legal owners of the wine, and if they are in good condition we would of course get them back.
–The jewel in the crown is the Chateau d’Yquem from 1806. What does Atrio mean apart from astronomical figures?
-It is one of the oldest bottles in the world. The oldest on a restaurant menu. Napoleon was alive when he was bottled! We were lucky enough to buy it in London in 2000, on a rare day when people weren’t bidding too much. It broke on arrival in Cáceres and had to be overhauled in Bordeaux. The story is very well known. It ties in with the history of Atrio. Although the bottle is not physically there, the history is ours.
–The price in the letter was 350,000 euros, did you sell it?
-If the market value were 120,000 we would estimate it to be more than double because of its special history, but I would never have sold it. Let’s see, if a huge crisis comes and we need money to pay employees, maybe yes. But not even for a million euros.
– Would they have dared to uncork it?
My instincts don’t tell me that. The others are most likely to have drunk more than one. But that’s a treasure. I may be wrong, but I hope it stays intact.
–Would you rather they give it back or have the third star fall this year?
-Oh! how hard it is for me. The truth is that it would be very important to recover the 1806 bottle. Toño doesn’t care about the third star, but I would like it. The problem is that Michelin cannot calibrate the Atrio experience. It is something that cannot be quantified. In ‘The Little Prince’ we read that what is essential is invisible to the eye, and the most important thing in a restaurant for me – not for Michelin – is the soul. How is that scored?
–If they were robbed in December 1986, when they opened the restaurant, what would be in the basement?
– Before the opening I called the magazine ‘Club de Gourmets’ and asked for Andrés Proensa, their wine specialist at the time. “I want to open a somewhat decent restaurant and I would like to make an interesting menu, but I have no idea,” I told him. I only knew Marqués de Cáceres, Riscal or Sangre de Toro. He was surprised that I asked him for help and made a list of Spanish wines to serve as my guide. They were normal wines—Milmanda de Torres, López Heredia, Murrieta—which were then available, but with a careful menu, adding vintages, and written with a calligraphy my father made for us.
–From that discreet cellar to the impressive current collection…
–In 1989 I received a catalog from a champagne and wine distributor in France, who is now a good friend, and I started shopping. I went crazy. Prices have skyrocketed today, but I remember buying Margaux for 2000 pesetas. We have created a good wardrobe background that has served us well. We rowed against the tide because there wasn’t much gastronomic culture in Extremadura and we wanted a restaurant that could attract people from other places. When we dream big, it was never for us. It was for our customers.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
