Vandalism

vandalism has long affected wine production but as wine prices have risen, so has the cost of wine vandalism, which can now be publicized so easily. Disgruntled ex-employees, commercial rivals, and pranksters are the usual culprits. Perhaps the most famous instance was the loss of six vintages of brunello di montalcino in the cellars of its most famous producer, Gianfranco Soldera of Case Basse in 2012. A former employee went to jail for opening the taps on every cask. The year before the cellars of lauded priorat producer Terroir Al Limit were broken into and tank taps opened with bleach added to contaminate various casks. Foreign ownership may have been a factor here, as at Domaine Jones in fitou, where wine was destroyed in early 2013. Moana Park in Hawke’s Bay, new zealand, was the next victim.