Is that Grange? Smashing
By Mike Edmonds

December 31, 2007 06:38pm
Article from: The Daily Telegraph

A BREWERY executive was on the verge of tears when he had to smash two bottles of Australia's best known wine, worth $3000, at the airport.
Neil Grant, the southern region general manager with Fosters Australia, ran foul of the tough security rules at Melbourne's Tullmarine airport as he was about to board an Emirates flight to the UK.

"I was going to conferences in Scotland and Ireland, and grabbed a 1980 and an '82 Grange from my personal cellar," Mr Grant said.

He estimated the two bottles were probably worth about $3000.

But he'd forgotten about the 100ml liquid rule applying to carry-on luggage, and although the precious Grange slipped through Customs he came unstuck at the final security check.

"I had the lady from hell, who said 'No sir, this is going to be bloody destroyed' even though the Emirates people were happy to find my baggage and pack it for me," he said.

"I said 'this is like a work of art, it's irreplaceable, do you know what you're doing here'.

"She had them in her office and I said I wanted to put them in the wheelie bin myself.

"I was worried that they'd just go downstairs and someone would open the bin and there's two bottles of Grange, so I smashed them.

"I thought if I'm not going to be able to drink them, nobody is.

"I'm still in mourning over it."

Mr Grant said he wanted to take the Grange overseas to share with others at the conferences and show off some of Australia's best produce.

"They were just totally inflexible about anything we suggested to get it fixed," he said.

"I offered to open it there and then and let everyone have some, but they said 'No sir, you can't do that here'."