A well-known Western Cape wine cellar is in a race against time to try and limit further damage after a tank holding 50 000 liters of wine overturned yesterday morning.
Darling Cellars, situated on the West Coast between Malmesbury and Darling, confirms that no one was injured during the incident. Dramatic video footage taken after the tank collapsed shows wine bleeding into the surrounds, even stretching outside.
According to a statement released by the winery, it is suspected that the stand on which the tank rested had caved in, causing the collapse. The damage is further exacerbated by the tank falling onto other nearby tanks.
‘It could’ve been much worse’
However, Riaan de Waal, managing director of Darling Cellars, says that they do not yet “have enough information to speculate on the cause. We are still cleaning up and getting the workplace safe to enter.”
Darling Cellars produces some of Mzansi’s most loved wines, including a popular Chocoholic pinotage. The winery has received multiple awards, and is a popular attraction along the Darling wine route.
“While the loss of wine is a financial reality, we are glad that no one was injured. In this incident, it could’ve been much worse. There is no immediate risk to the wine supply and we shall overcome this setback,” says De Waal.
On its website, Darling Cellars says its cellar houses various stainless steel tanks ranging from 5 000 litres to 54 000 litres in size.
This gives them an opportunity to create small, unique batches of wines, or bigger, uniform batches for volume brands. A barrel ageing cellar with approximately 450 barrels is the pride and focal point of the cellar.
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