(TheDrinksBusiness) - A Hawke’s Bay winery has lost £90k worth of wine after vandals drained one of its tanks.

Moana Park Winery near Napier was attacked last Friday night when its largest tank of Merlot was forced open and left to spill out onto the ground. 

Owner and winemaker Dan Barker told reporters that the cost of the 6,000-litre loss amounted to £90k.  ‘‘It’s gutting to have all our hard work wasted like this. 

“We’ve invested 12 months of growing, harvesting and then winemaking – it’s a lot of blood sweat and tears to just literally pour down the drain,’’ he said.

Barker added that the loss was particularly crushing as 2013 had been a “stellar” growing season.  “This is the best vintage I’ve ever seen in Hawke’s Bay in my time making wine here,” he said.