Washington Vineyard Struck by Harvest Thieves</font>
"An estimated 1.25 tons of Mourvèdre grapes were recently stolen off the vine at Grand Rêve Vineyard in Kirkland, Wash. According to vineyard owner and partner Paul McBride, the theft took place sometime between Sept. 15 and 20, less than two weeks before the grapes were slated to be harvested.
McBride explained to Unfiltered, “James Mantone of Syncline Winery, who was scheduled to receive the fruit, inspected the vineyard on Sept. 21 and noticed that the crop loads were exceptionally light. The vines were found to have been cleanly and completely harvested. The outermost row was left unpicked to mask that the inside fruit had all been taken.” This was Grand Rêve’s first planting of Mourvèdre, a red Rhône variety that’s an unusual sight in Washington’s Red Mountain region, where Cabernet and Syrah dominate.
McBride, who has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of anyone involved in the theft, told MSNBC that the thieves ignored the other grape varieties growing nearby, indicating that the perpetrator could have been a “wine geek—the sort of person who lies in bed at night thinking, ‘I’ve just got to have this vine-grown Mourvèdre.’” Unfiltered has to wonder how well the thieves really know their stuff, however, as they picked the grapes too early.
As vineyard manager and partner Ryan Johnson told KNDO/KNDU, a local NBC affiliate, "If these guys would have waited 10 more days, the flavors would have been more developed, richer, riper, and they would have made a better wine from it. So if you're going to steal my fruit, at least do it at the right time."</font>
"An estimated 1.25 tons of Mourvèdre grapes were recently stolen off the vine at Grand Rêve Vineyard in Kirkland, Wash. According to vineyard owner and partner Paul McBride, the theft took place sometime between Sept. 15 and 20, less than two weeks before the grapes were slated to be harvested.
McBride explained to Unfiltered, “James Mantone of Syncline Winery, who was scheduled to receive the fruit, inspected the vineyard on Sept. 21 and noticed that the crop loads were exceptionally light. The vines were found to have been cleanly and completely harvested. The outermost row was left unpicked to mask that the inside fruit had all been taken.” This was Grand Rêve’s first planting of Mourvèdre, a red Rhône variety that’s an unusual sight in Washington’s Red Mountain region, where Cabernet and Syrah dominate.
McBride, who has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of anyone involved in the theft, told MSNBC that the thieves ignored the other grape varieties growing nearby, indicating that the perpetrator could have been a “wine geek—the sort of person who lies in bed at night thinking, ‘I’ve just got to have this vine-grown Mourvèdre.’” Unfiltered has to wonder how well the thieves really know their stuff, however, as they picked the grapes too early.
As vineyard manager and partner Ryan Johnson told KNDO/KNDU, a local NBC affiliate, "If these guys would have waited 10 more days, the flavors would have been more developed, richer, riper, and they would have made a better wine from it. So if you're going to steal my fruit, at least do it at the right time."</font>
