An apparent accident at a winery in California turned water into wine after thousands of gallons leaked into a nearby river.
The leak of 97,000 gallons of cabernet sauvignon at the Rodney Strong Vineyards in Healdsburg was so large that the wine could have filled half a million bottles. About 20% of the spilled wine was able to be contained, but thousands of gallons still reached the Russian River.
The source of the spill was from a large blending tank. Rodney Strong spokesman Chris O’Gorman said that his company is “almost completely” certain that the leak did not happen because of human error.
“We are investigating this apparent mechanical failure,” O’Gorman said. “We are deeply concerned and are doing everything in our power to protect our waterways.”
The Sonoma County Water Agency, which provides clean drinking water from the Russian River said that its operations have not been affected by the leak.
The spill is likely the largest in Sonoma County’s history.
