CaptainQuintero Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 (Reuters) - Lovers of exquisite wine wherever you are, if you have tears, prepare to shed them now. Vandals have destroyed more than 62,000 bottles worth of choice Brunello di Montalcino of the exclusive Soldera label at the Case Basse vineyard and estate in Tuscany. In what the owners have branded as an act of Mafia-style intimidation, the vandals opened the spigots of 10 huge barrels of the produce of the last six years and let the wine go down the drain - literally. They broke into the estate on Sunday night and when workers walked into the cantina on Monday morning they found nothing left of six years work but puddles of red liquid on the floor. The total amount lost, according to a Soldera family statement, was 62,600 litres (16,400 gallons) And this was no surplus supermarket stuff either - a bottle of Soldera starts about 110 euros ($140) and all of them, of course, are numbered as if they were gold bars. The whole episode has left the Soldera family scratching their heads over a vintage whodunnit. "I have never received any threats. I have absolutely no idea why this happened or who could have done it," winery founder Gianfranco Soldera, 75, told Reuters by telephone from the hilly estate on Wednesday morning. "This is beyond me. I can't get into the minds of the people who did this but I guess if someone plans to intimidate me it has to start somehow," he said. The 23-hectare (56-acre) estate at Montalcino uses Sangiovese Grosso vines to produce the famous wine. Soldera, a former insurance broker from Milan, and his wife Graziella, started the estate in 1972 when they bought land Tuscan sharecroppers had abandoned. Soldera runs the estate with his wife, his two children, his grandchildren and about 15 full-time employees. About half the produce is sent abroad, about 10 percent to the United States. "We will carry on," Soldera said. "We have passion for this land and its produce and no amount of intimidation can stop us." The family said in a statement that the gesture would "reverberate beyond the boundaries of our winery". Indeed, the residents of the normally tranquil area dotted with small, centuries-old, hilltop towns were shocked. Montalcino's mayor Silvio Franceschelli called the crime "infamous and cowardly". Fabrizio Bindocci, President of the trade consortium that groups some 250 Brunello producers, said the attack "hits all of us". (Reporting By Philip Pullella, editing by Paul Casciato) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazolaman Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 I read this the other day. In that report, they stated this vinyard owner had rumbled other vinyards for not using entirely Sangiovese grapes, as the designation Brunello di Montalcino requires, causing them to loose there status, and be re-classified as a n inferior quality. A bit of revenge perhaps? Maybe some big boys owned some of the other vinyards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maverickdrinker Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 This is very sad. Such a waste for no good reason. It's always tough when someone rips away someone else's passion. I hope they catch the hoodlums... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AverageJoe83 Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Tragic to lose 6 years of work for nothing, what a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puros Y Vino Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 A moment of silence please..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanuckSARTech Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 What a week to be a sewer worker though!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangolf18 Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 As least the owner had insurance. Would've been sad to see close to $20,000,000 go down the drain. Still a great tragedy to lose part of your life's work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 I read this the other day. In that report, they stated this vinyard owner had rumbled other vinyards for not using entirely Sangiovese grapes, as the designation Brunello di Montalcino requires, causing them to loose there status, and be re-classified as a n inferior quality. A bit of revenge perhaps? Maybe some big boys owned some of the other vinyards. Anything is possible, but the Brunello scandal occurred in 2003 - a bit of time to wait for a vendetta. On a side note, corruption knows no borders - cigars, wine...... If you haven't already read it, you might be interested in a book titled Extra Virginity which goes into the olive oil trade........ I've not tried the Soldera, but by almost all accounts, it's a top Brunello. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maverickdrinker Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 The solders is a fie wine indeed. Heartbreaking to hear about such unnecessary destruction... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrims Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 I visited the estate back in July (I am a wine merchant) and tasted two of the wines (2007 & 2010) that now don't exist and can honestly say they are amongst the greatest young wines (and I would include the 2006 which we also tasted and had been bottled) I have ever tasted and this is in 14 years in the trade. As you can probably tell from my blog (Duvault Blochet) I am incredibly lucky in what I get to taste and drink in the name of "work" and I do not say this lightly. He (Gianfranco) is insured but Soldera is one of the icons (hate the word but it is apt and accurate here) of Italian wine which i am very passionate about. The loss is a big one but knowing Gianfranco a little he will not be knocked off his path by this.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squarehead Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 This is very sad. Such a waste for no good reason. It's always tough when someone rips away someone else's passion. I hope they catch the hoodlums... X 2 If Frank and Rob would have been in Italy together I would say they poured it down their hatches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 As you can probably tell from my blog (Duvault Blochet) I am incredibly lucky in what I get to taste and drink in the name of "work" Will, nice work. I recently read some of your reviews while doing a little research on th '08 Francesco Rinaldi Brunate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headstand Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 That's terrible. I hope the little lady doesn't hear about this - she will be reduced to tears. Little lady is quite fond of Brunello. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrims Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Will, nice work. I recently read some of your reviews while doing a little research on th '08 Francesco Rinaldi Brunate. Cheers Colt, the Francesco Rinaldi wines are certainly on song at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Cheers Colt, the Francesco Rinaldi wines are certainly on song at the moment. I have had a chance to try their grignolino, which I enjoyed very much. I'll probably pick up some of the Brunate - a bottle to try now and a few to leave for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balboa Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Anything is possible, but the Brunello scandal occurred in 2003 - a bit of time to wait for a vendetta. On a side note, corruption knows no borders - cigars, wine...... If you haven't already read it, you might be interested in a book titled Extra Virginity which goes into the olive oil trade........ I've not tried the Soldera, but by almost all accounts, it's a top Brunello. I remember one year visiting friends in Sicily, it was very common to see whole olive orchards burning. I suppose accidently ?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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