A British mother-of-three is facing up to 50 years in a US prison after being charged with stealing rare wines worth more than £30,000 from a luxury restaurant in Virginia. Natali Ray, 43, from Herne Bay, Kent, appeared in Clark County General District Court this week accused of grand larceny, conspiracy to commit grand larceny and defrauding an innkeeper.
Prosecutors allege Ray walked into L'Auberge Provencale winery on November 19 and deliberately distracted staff while an accomplice swiped six bottles of pinot noir from Burgundy’s legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti estate. The wines, valued at around £31,500, are highly sought after, with only 5,000 bottles produced annually.
According to court documents, Ray posed as the assistant of a wealthy Canadian businesswoman using a fake name. CCTV footage shows her speaking to the receptionist about the restaurant's reputation before asking to speak to sommelier Christian Borel, claiming she wanted to ensure the wine was 'climate-controlled'. While Borel showed her a bottle of Californian cabernet, her male accomplice allegedly slipped eight bottles into his long woollen coat, which had special 'long pockets' for concealment.
Borel told the Daily Mail that he heard 'a clink' during the conversation but thought nothing of it, later realising it must have been the accomplice moving the wine. After the man reappeared and said they were in a rush, Ray 'wrapped up the conversation abruptly' and left quickly. A dramatic chase ensued; the accomplice escaped but Ray was arrested at the scene.
Ray insisted to officials she had been abducted by the accomplice, whom she met on a cruise, and was forced into the crime. A neighbour described the alleged theft as 'totally out of character', saying: 'I fear her good nature has been her downfall; she can too easily see the good in people.' Ray is being held without bond at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center and is next due in court for a preliminary hearing on February 11, 2026.
