Thousands of cases of Saint Clair lost at sea

Thousands of cases of Saint Clair Family Estate wine having been lost off the coast of Mumbai after the ship they were on foundered and broke in two.

The MOL Comfort foundered off the coast of Mumbai

The MOL Comfort was carrying two containers of the New Zealand estate’s wine, made up mostly of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir destined for Sweden.

“At the moment, it’s a little bit unknown in that we understand part of the ship is still floating and has containers on it,” said Saint Clair’s managing director Neal Ibbotson.

“We understand the other part of the ship is supposedly lost, but we don’t know where – we’re waiting for confirmation,” he added.

Fortunately for the Marlborough-based winery, the wine was sold “free on board”, meaning it is the responsibility of the buyer once it’s loaded onto the ship.

“That’s a plus for us,” said Ibbotson.

If the wine is lost, Saint Clair will need to send another two containers to Sweden.

“While we can replace the wine, it delays the availability in Sweden and that can cause it to be out of stock on the shelves, which we always try to avoid,” he added.