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Vandals pour £60,000 worth of wine down the drain

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A Leicestershire woman who moved to France to run a vineyard has been left devastated after vandals poured £60,000 worth of wine down the drain. Katie Jones, who swapped Ashby for the sunny Languedoc region, was distraught after an entire year's vintage of a white wine - about 4,000 bottles - was left to drain out of two tanks at her winery in Tuchan. Ms Jones, who has won international awards for her wine, discovered the loss of the Grenache Gris after she returned from a business trip to Germany. The 47-year-old, who runs the winery with her French husband Jean Marc, said: "It was a terrible shock. "I find it hard to believe that someone could actually do this. "I had tasted the wine and was very, very happy with this vintage. "It is awful because the wine is something I have created over 18 months, from growing the grapes to finishing the wine. "It is like painting a picture or creating a sculpture. It is a very personal process and my heart and soul went into the wine." The wine, sold under Ms Jones' Domaine Jones brand through the Wine Society, was worth £15 a bottle. The attack happened at the end of March. Ms Jones, who has lived in France for 20 years, said: "I have reported the matter to the police and they are investigating. "I have been in this country for such a long time now and do not belive this was because of my nationality. I do not know who did it or why." An internet wine retailer has now come to Ms Jones' rescue. Naked Wines, set up by entrepreneur Rowan Gormley, has promised to give her cash from reserved sales of her wine to help her produce this year's vintage. In return, Ms Jones will sell a range of wine exclusively through the company next year. Eamon FitzGerald, chief operating officer at Naked Wines, said: "When we read about Katie's plight we felt we had to do something. She's a first class winemaker and deserves some help to get back in business. "As ever, our customers have shown they really care about good wine and great winemakers." Ms Jones said: "I am so grateful for this overwhelming show of support. "When I lost my entire white vintage it was a disaster, but this will help us get back on our feet. "I got lots of emails and Facebook messages of support from people in Leicestershire and the rest of Britain. It was lovely." Ms Jones started making her own wine in 2009, having spent the previous 17 years in sales and marketing for wine firm Mont Tauch in Tuchan. She now produces about 16,000 bottles of red and white wine a year. The red wine was untouched in the attack. Ms Jones said she had now installed CCTV and movement sensor alarms at the winery. She said: "I won't let this spoil my love affair with wine and with France."

Vandals pour £60,000 worth of wine down the drain


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