Tom Reimer, a master tailor known for dressing Luciano Pavarotti, has lost a major court fight over his mould-damaged wine collection. A judge ruled that the damage to his French wines was caused by his own decision to switch off noisy fridges, rather than by faults blamed on a kitchen fitting company.
Reimer had sought £550,000 in damages, arguing that leaking refrigeration units in his luxury £8 million flat had spoiled a collection said to be worth around £1 million. But the court found that the wine deteriorated after the fridges were turned off following complaints from neighbours about the noise.
The ruling means the claim against the kitchen company failed, and Reimer has now been ordered to pay a court bill of about £110,000. The decision is a significant setback in a case that centered on whether the storage system itself was responsible for the mould problem.
The dispute drew attention because of Reimer’s high-profile background and the scale of the wine collection involved. In the end, the judge concluded that the key cause of the loss was not leaking appliances, but the loss of refrigeration after the units were switched off.
