More than $1 million of high-quality Australian wine destined for the United States was lost when a forklift dropped the consignment, according to a report Friday.
Some 462 cases of 2010 Mollydooker Velvet Glove shiraz — worth 185 Australian dollars per bottle (nearly $200) — was lost when they were dropped about 20 feet while being loaded for export in the southern city of Adelaide, the Herald Sun newspaper reported.
"We just couldn't believe it. This wine is our pride and joy, so to see it accidentally destroyed, and not consumed, has left us all a bit numb," winemaker Sparky Marquis told the paper.
He added that the lost wine represented a third of his yearly production, and the paper said he was "working with" insurance companies in an attempt to cover the cost.