(Wine-Searcher) - The case of the vanishing Chardonnay throws up some surprises in court.

The case of a winemaker accused of destroying more than $200,000 of a competitor's wine has taken a strange twist, with the accused having charges dismissed and an Australian wine writer potentially facing charges of contempt of court and defamation.

Trevor David "Boots" Jones, owner of Trevor Jones Fine Wines, appeared in court this week, accused of trespass and property damage following an incident at another Barossa Valley winery, Kellermeister Wines, in March.

The prosecution alleged that Jones – who used to work at Kellermeister – gained access to the winery and drained 25,000 liters of Chardonnay from the tanks.

The charge was based on unclear CCTV footage that allegedly caught Jones in the act and the testimony of Jones's old boss, Kellermeister proprietor Mark Pearce, according to local newspaper The Advertiser. The defense said there was bad blood between the two following the termination of Jones's employment at Kellermeister in 2010.

The defense contended that the footage was not clear enough to identify Jones and the charges should be dismissed. The times and dates on the footage did not appear to match the date of the alleged offence and fingerprints found on the tank taps did not match those of Jones and nor were any traces of mud or wine found on his clothes, as might have been expected.

The magistrate agreed, citing the prosecution's inability to "prove the provenance" of the CCTV footage.

It was during the hearing that Australian wine writer, critic and judge James Halliday's name cropped up. Defense lawyers accused Halliday of contempt of court and defamation for writing and commenting about the incident before the court case was concluded.