Top NYC Wine Expert Charged With Setting Outdoor Dining Structures on Fire

Food & Wine Magazine once named Caleb Ganzer "sommelier of the year." He was charged with two counts of arson in New York.

A top New York City wine expert who was once named “sommelier of the year” by Food & Wine Magazine has been charged with setting outdoor dining sheds in Manhattan on fire.

Video surveillance allegedly shows Caleb Ganzer stroll up to an outdoor restaurant and light it on fire.

Then the suspect goes to the other end of the structure and allegedly starts a second blaze.

Ganzer, 35, also co-owns Tony Wine Bar in Lower Manhattan. He is also accused of setting fire to the upscale Italian restaurant, Forsythia, which is said to be a rival of Ganzer’s wine bar.

The outdoor structures were erected in New York and across the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic as a lifeline for restaurants when indoor dining was banned.

Ganzer was charged with two felony counts of arson.

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