Wine worth €2.5 million destroyed

The owners of a top flight winery in Ribera del Duero CEPA 21 came  down to earth with a bang when they opened up on Monday February 19 to discover the loss of 60,000 litres of wine.

Pure act of vandalism

On checking CCTV, they found that an unidentifiable intruder dressed in a full body suit and hood had entered the area where bulk wines were stored in vats and opened the valves on five tanks of which three were filled with wine.

Whoever it was who had undertaken this act of vandalism clearly knew their way around the building as they chose vats containing two of the most expensive wines, Horcajo which retails between €80 and €85 a bottle and Malabrigo which whilst cheaper still costs about €35 a bottle.

In total the loss of potential sales from the wasted wine is estimated at €2.5 million and although this is a well-established winery that is a really significant hit to their cash flow and profits.

Culprit knew their way around the winery

The police are now investigating the matter as although there is no grounds to suspect any current or former employee who may have a grudge, it is clear that whoever undertook the action was aware of the layout of the winery, the way to open the valves and managed all of this in the dark.