Moment man dressed as a PIRATE destroys 5,000 gallons of white wine worth $600,000 in Washington cellar before disappearing into the darkness
- A mysterious pirate-like man broke into a family winery in Washington on Thanksgiving Eve.
- The attacker destroyed 5,000 gallons of handmade artisan wine worth $600,000.
- Sparkman Cellars is now struggling to fill orders after suffering huge losses.
A man fancifully dressed as a pirate robbed a family wine cellar in Washington and destroyed $600,000 worth of handcrafted wine before disappearing into the woods.
Security footage captured the eerie moment a mysterious man in a pirate costume strolled blithely through Sparkman’s Cellars in Woodinville, Washington, late on Thanksgiving Eve.
Security cameras inside the basement captured the same figure crawling through the basement storage area at 10:30 p.m.
Video from a warehouse where barrels of wine were stored shows the dramatic moment as gallons of handcrafted white wine began to spill and spill onto the ground.
The Sparkman family estimates that nearly 5,000 gallons of wine, valued at $600,000, were wasted during the mysterious figure’s iniquity.
A man dressed as a fancy pirate robbed a family wine cellar in Washington and destroyed $600,000 worth of handcrafted wine.
Security footage captured the eerie moment a mysterious man in a pirate costume strolled blithely through Sparkman’s Cellars in Woodinville, Washington, late on Thanksgiving Eve.
The Sparkman family estimates that nearly 5,000 gallons of wine, worth $600,000, were wasted during the mystery man’s misdeeds.
The break-in occurred shortly after the family locked up their business the night before Thanksgiving.
The masked man confidently walked to the side door of the building and gained access to the winery and barrel room, allegedly using an employee’s keypad.
Shortly thereafter, the suspect exited the building with an umbrella and headed toward a wooded area near the establishment.
The valves on two tanks for the 2023 white wine, which was supposed to be bottled in mid-December, were open, the family said.
Wine costing $55 a bottle went down the drain at a Washington winery.
“It just shows that this individual wanted to hit the winery as hard as possible to incur as much loss as possible,” said Sergeant Eric White with the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Sparkman is one of the largest wineries in the area and has just finished aging all of its wines in barrels after a bountiful harvest season.
Shortly thereafter, the suspect exited the building with an umbrella and headed toward a wooded area near the establishment.
The Sparkman family opened their winery in 2004, producing wines from some of Washington’s most sought-after vineyards.
The valves on two tanks for the 2023 white wine, which was supposed to be bottled in mid-December, were open, the family said.
“This is a significant blow to our small family business and was designed to cause maximum damage just in time for the holidays,” Kelly and Chris Sparkman said in a statement.
“Our team remained resilient and focused in the face of this unspeakable crime.
“We remain committed to delivering excellent wines to all of our customers and are grateful for the incredible support from our community of wineries, restaurants, retailers and wine lovers. ‘
The Sparkmans opened their winery in 2004 and have produced wine from some of Washington’s most sought-after vineyards.
Sparkman Cellars in Woodinville has a tasting room. an outdoor patio, a large event room and several rooms for private events.
The company is now said to be struggling to fulfill its orders after losing a huge amount of its shares in the frightening incident.
Many Sparkman bottles are currently marked “sold out” on the Sparkman website, including Pearl Sauvignon Blanc, Apparition Rhône Blend, Lumière Chardonnay and Enlightenment Old Vines Chardonnay.