Crikey! I could have sworn I had another meter before I hit that wall!
I was saddened to read that powerhouse Australian winery, Mollydooker, lost over $1,000,000 worth of their 2010 Velvet Glove Shiraz. And in a forklift accident, no less (462 cases fell 20 feet while being loaded onto a ship).
Australian fine wine needs all the help it can get and this bonehead move isn’t helping the cause. The American people needed this wine. Our shores have been saturated with cheap Australian swill like Yellow Tail and Black Opal for too long (check out the article I wrote last year about the sinking state of Australian wine).
There is a power balance at play here in the universe. And while most of us will rarely buy this wine (it retails around $199/bottle), I rest easy knowing that the resistance has punched through enemy lines and has met American cellars firsthand. The castle may be run by the Wal-Mart wineries like Yellow Tail (in 2005, they sold over 7.5 million cases in the US alone through outlets like Costco) but at least the shelves could be peppered with valiant warriors to offset them. This year, they didn’t even get off the dock.
Mollydooker winemaker, Sparky Marquis
Mollydooker winemaker, Sparky Marquis, at least had a good sense of humor after hearing 1/3 of his entire years production (462 cases) was destroyed. He said, “When they opened up the container they said it was like a murder scene. But it smelled phenomenal.”
Do Sparky (and the Australian fine wine industry) a favor: the next time you go into your local wine shop for your magnum of Yellow Tail Shiraz, take a breath and ask the staff for a recommendation from a winery doing things the authentic, handcrafted way. There are many of them out there, you just may have to wade through the muck to find them.
This could end up helping Mollydooker. I’m sure the wine is solid and would have been well received with plenty of accolades yelled from the mountaintops by enthusiasts and spectators, but selling a vintage 2010 big aussie cab for $200/bottle when it has never previously been released in the US market and doesn’t carry with it a general consumer awareness reaching beyond wine geeks and industry people; in a rather unstable economic atmosphere with plenty of quality valued wines in a much more desirable price range, would have certainly taken some time and energy.
Now, interest has been piqued on our shores (and others) by this story of loss, accompanied by such catching tag-lines as “looked like a murder scene… but smelled phenomenal.” 2/3’s of a wine that shouldn’t really even be drunk for a few years anyway will now possibly be clamored for in a much more expeditious fashion, and now they have a pretty sweet insurance check and are presented with some immediate cash liquidity.
I don’t think it hurts them financially, it probably helps if anything. But it is definitely a damn shame and waste of some good juice.
Forklift Destroys a Million Dollars Worth of Wine | Grapes and Grains: Do Sparky (and the fine wine Australian w… http://bit.ly/nm8A9R
NEW POST: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of wine. Why this f'in sucks for the #Australian fine #wine industry… http://t.co/sp3ZWpC
Forklift Destroys $1,000,000 Worth of Wine: I was saddened to read that powerhouse Australian winery, Mollydooke… http://bit.ly/pLcb2P
Insurance Investigator? RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift destroys $1M wine. F'in scks for the #Aussie #wine industry… http://bit.ly/nITOD8
NEW POST: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of @mollydookerwine. Why this f'in sucks for the #Australian fine #wine industry..http://t.co/sp3ZWpC
NEW POST: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of @mollydookerwine. Why this f'in sucks for the #Australian fine #wine industry..http://t.co/sp3ZWpC
NEW POST: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of @mollydookerwine. Why this f'in sucks for the #Australian fine #wine industry..http://t.co/sp3ZWpC
what a waste of megapurple :-/ RT @grapesandgrains: NEW POST: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of @mollydookerwine. http://t.co/sp3ZWpC
Forklift Destroys a Million Dollars Worth of Wine | Grapes and Grains: The American people NEEDED this win… http://bit.ly/mYVxFz #wine
*correction….shiraz not cab…
READ. RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of @mollydookerwine. http://t.co/sp3ZWpC
whoops. RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift Destroys $1,000,000 Worth of Mollydooker Wine http://t.co/OcRETgN
Ouch!! RT @fernandobeteta: whoops. RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift Destroys $1,000,000 Worth of Mollydooker Wine http://t.co/OcRETgN
Cory, well-put and you make some interesting points. Certainly Mollydooker’s name has gotten a tidal wave of attention/affection. At the end of the day, sure, they are going to fair quite well financially, but I know Sparky will always feel a loss after seeing his baby through the whole year only to watch it shatter to pieces in the starting gate. That’s gotta be devastating. But a huge marketing coup in a strange way, I agree.
Cryin shame RT @jarred_: a waste of megapurple RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of @mollydookerwine. http://t.co/sp3ZWpC
…and weep RT @terroirNY: READ. RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of @mollydookerwine. http://t.co/sp3ZWpC
Buttafingas RT @fernandobeteta: whoops. RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift Destroys $1,000,000 Worth of Mollydooker Wine http://t.co/OcRETgN
Gulp! RT @Desireebella548: Ouch!! RT @fernandobeteta: whoops. RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift Destroys $1,000,000 of Wine http://t.co/OcRETgN
READ NOW. RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of @mollydookerwine. http://t.co/sp3ZWpC
RT @terroirNY: READ NOW. RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of @mollydookerwine. http://bit.ly/nITOD8
Tks! RT @pourtal: RT @terroirNY: READ NOW. RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of @mollydookerwine. http://bit.ly/nITOD8
Tks! RT @pourtal: RT @terroirNY: READ NOW. RT @grapesandgrains: Forklift destroys $1,000,000 of @mollydookerwine. http://bit.ly/nITOD8
Forklift Destroys $1,000,000 Worth of Wine http://bit.ly/qULrzL
WTF? Mollydooker withdraws 'smashed wine' press release. http://bit.ly/oi3rtt Forklift Destroys $1,000,000 of Wine http://t.co/OcRETgN