SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. — Oh, what a waste of wine.
Red wine from a Sonoma County vineyard’s tank leaked, sending more than 96,000 gallons of vino into a sanitary sewer system that eventually flows into the Russian River, a 110-mile tributary that empties into the Pacific Ocean, KTLA reported.
That’s enough to fill more than 500,000 bottles of wine, The Press Democrat reported.
The newspaper said it may be the largest wine spill in Sonoma County history.
A blending tank’s door opened Wednesday allowing the Cabernet Sauvignon to flow freely, the newspaper reported.
The winery is trying to figure out how the door opened, KTLA reported.
California officials said the wine could impact the water quality in the river. About 20% of the wine was contained, despite efforts to assemble a dam in a creek leading to the river, KTLA reported.