"a crime against wine"
ananova.com
A shipment of some of the world's rarest wines, including a bottle worth £1,700, has been dumped by customs officers after they seized it in Kent.
The wines, valued at £130,000 by lawyers, were destroyed after being confiscated during a routine check by Customs at Ramsgate.
The Sunday Times says it's alleged the wines were ordered to be dumped because of a lack of storage space.
Among the wines were a six-litre bottle of Château Mouton Rothschild 1996, valued by antique wine experts at £1,737, and a three-litre jeroboam of the same vintage worth more than £700.
Chef and restaurateur, Albert Roux, said the action taken by Customs and Excise was "a crime against wine".
Other bottles destroyed included a case of Château Mouton Rothschild 1995, worth £197 a bottle; six bottles of Château Lafite Rothschild 1990 (£150 a bottle); one case of Château Haut Brion 1994 (£120 a bottle); and six bottles of Château La Fleur Petrus 1990, worth £1,000 a case.
The wines were seized as they were being driven off a ferry from France in January. Customs officers spotted a discrepancy in the importer's paperwork and confiscated the trailer and its contents.
Sally Saltissi of Dechert, the solicitors acting for the insurance company involved in the case, wouldn't discuss the case. However, the newspaper says she has written to Richard Broadbent, chairman of Customs and Excise, and Gordon Brown, the chancellor, to demand an explanation. |
