A $1,OOO,OOO MALFUNCTION

They say there’s no point in crying over spilt milk. But how about shedding a tear for $1 million worth of spilt wine? Four hundred and sixty two cases of the 2O1O Mollydooker Velvet Glove Shiraz was destroyed after a forklift suffered a malfunction that caused a container holding one third of the winemaker’s annual production to crash to the ground, shattering bottles, crushing cartons and leaving the container floor awash in premium red wine. The wine was scheduled to arrive in the US this fall. “It was the call no winemaker ever wants to receive,” said Sparky Marquis, who owns the vineyard along with his wife Sarah. “This wine is our pride and joy, we think it is the best we have ever made, and to see it accidentally destroyed and not consumed has left us all a bit numb. But luckily we still have two thirds of our production left so we still have plenty to share with our friends.” At $185 per bottle, Velvet Glove is Mollydooker Winery’s top premium wine, and was being shipped to the US ready for the release of the 2O1O wines on September 15 (known as International Mollydooker Day). Velvet Glove isn’t made every year. Parcels of wine have to achieve a rare 95%+ Marquis Fruit Weight before being eligible for inclusion. Mollydooker’s 3 previous Velvet Glove bottlings have received 99, 98 and 97+ scores from the wine advocate, and have all been rated “Classic” by wine spectator, making it one of Australia’s highest rated wines. It’s hard not to be sad over that one.