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11 months ago
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A man bizarrely dressed as a pirate burglarized a family-run wine cellar in Washington and destroyed $600,000 of handcrafted wine before vanishing into the woods.
CCTV footage caught the eerie moment a mysterious man in a pirate outfit nonchalantly strolled into Sparkman Cellars in Woodinville, Washington, late at night on Thanksgiving Eve.
Security cameras from inside the cellar caught the same figure creeping around the stock-room of the cellar at 10:30 pm.
Video from the warehouse that contained barrels of wine showed the dramatic moment that gallons of the artisan hand-crafted white wine began to flood out and spill all over the ground.
The Sparkman family estimated that almost 5,000 gallons of wine - amounting to $600,000 were wasted during the mysterious figure's lawlessness.
A man bizarrely dressed as a pirate burglarized a family-run wine cellar in Washington and destroyed $600,000 of handcrafted wine
CCTV footage caught the eerie moment a mysterious man in a pirate outfit nonchalantly strolled into Sparkman Cellars in Woodinville, Washington, late at night on Thanksgiving Eve
The Sparkman family estimated that almost 5,000 gallons of wine - amounting to $600,000 were wasted during the mysterious figure's lawlessness
The break-in happened not long after the family locked up their business the night before Thanksgiving.
The masked person walked confidently to the building's side door and gained access to the winery and barrel room, allegedly using an employee keypad to do so.
Shortly after - the suspect exited the building with an umbrella and headed towards a wooded area next to the facility.
Valves on two tanks for 2023 vintage white wine that was set to be bottled in mid-December were opened, according to the family.
The wine - worth $55 a bottle - flooded down the drains of the Washington-based winery.
'It just shows this person wanted to hit this winery as hard as they could to take the biggest loss that they could,' said Sergeant Eric White with the King County Sheriff's Office.
Sparkman is one of the largest wineries in the area and had just finished barreling all of its wine to age after a strong harvest season.
Shortly after - the suspect exited the building with an umbrella and headed towards a wooded area next to the facility
The Sparkmans opened their winery in 2004 and produced wine from some of the most sought-after vineyards in Washington
Valves on two tanks for 2023 vintage white wine that was set to be bottled in mid-December were opened, according to the family
'This is a tough blow for our small family business and was timed to deliver maximum damage right as the holidays get under way,' Kelly and Chris Sparkman said in a statement.
'Our team has remained steadfast and focused in the face of this unimaginable crime.
'We remain committed to delivering superb wines to all our customers and are grateful for the extraordinary outpouring of support from our community of wineries, restaurants, retailers, and wine lovers. '
The Sparkmans opened their winery in 2004 and produced wine from some of the most sought-after vineyards in Washington.
Sparkman Cellars' Woodinville facility features a tasting room. an outdoor patio, a grand event hall and multiple private event spaces.
The company is now said to be scrambling to meet their orders - after losing a huge amount of their stock in the frightening incident.
Many of the Sparkman bottles are currently marked as 'sold out' on Sparkman's website - including Pearl Sauvignon Blanc, Apparition Rhône Blend, Lumière Chardonnay and Enlightenment Old Vines Chardonnay.
English (US)