Vandal costs Woodinville winery hundreds of thousands after draining more than 21,000 bottles

WOODINVILLE, Wash. — Security camera footage captured the moment when a suspect entered a Woodinville winery, through the employee entrance by using a keypad, and emptied two tanks filled with nearly 5,000 gallons of wine.

KIRO 7 News spoke with the owners of Sparkman Cellars.

They declined to speak on camera, but they shared surveillance footage that captured the entire incident.

The owners said one suspect, dressed in all black, entered the employee entrance on Wednesday, November 22, the day before Thanksgiving, at about 7:34 p.m.

The suspect is seen walking through the building.

Moments later, surveillance video captured thousands of gallons of white wine spilling onto the floor.

The video caught the suspect exiting the building from the back door, and walking toward the trees around 7:40 p.m.

Workers arrived the following day and discovered the pool of fermented grapes.

The owners told KIRO 7 News that no one else was inside the building during the incident, and no one was hurt.

The tanks of wine did not have any locks or security measures and no other barrels of wine or items were damaged or stolen, the owners added.

The owners told KIRO 7 News that they began prepping the wine in September so they could sell it in about two weeks, right before the holidays.

The winery lost more than 21,000 bottles worth of wine from the vandalism, costing the owners hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The winery is currently working on a new batch of wine, and they expect little delays as they prepare their customers’ orders.

KIRO 7 News saw Breanna Beike, the owner of nearby Heritage Restaurant and Bar and Tarte Bake Shop, stop by the winery and drop off a bag of baked goods.

“It was gut-wrenching, to say the least, that somebody would do that,” she said.

We asked Beike about her gesture.

“I think when something like this that’s that devastating happens to another local business, it’s the least you can do to show a little ray of sunshine. It gives a sense of hope that people out there really care,” she shared.

Beike said the vandalism is devastating for the business, especially during this time of year.

“The holiday season is typically one of the busiest of the entire year and you build your inventory for that entire season, and that’s been wiped away for them (Sparkman Cellars),” she said. “And that’s debilitating for them on so many levels.”

The effects of the recent vandalism go beyond Sparkman Cellars and its customers, Beike said.

She’s feeling the effects too.

“It will obviously affect our restaurant. That’s their white wine production. We serve their white wine. Their Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorites. I hope that we will be able to get some, but that’s pretty doubtful. So, it’s devastating for the community,” she said.

A spokesperson with the King County Sheriff’s Office said no arrests have been made as of Friday afternoon.

He said Woodinville police detectives are investigating this case.

If you have any details that can help detectives find the person responsible for the vandalism, you are asked to call 425-877-2279.

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