A lorry carrying 18 000 bottles from Château La Dominique in Saint-Emilion tipped over on Tuesday, when the driver apparently lost control of his vehicle at a roundabout in Bigaroux. The bottles of grand cru classé Château La Dominique 2011, which spilled into a road-side field and appeared to be without labels, were to be collected by hand according to reports in local newspaper Sud-Ouest. 

It was not immediately clear how many bottles of La Dominique were smashed in the accident, but photographs [photo credit above: Sud-Ouest newspaper] indicate that at least some can be recovered intact. The driver had no apparent injuries but was taken to hospital in nearby Libourne for a check-up. 

David Rowe wrote this article. David is a wine consultant based in Bordeaux and the former editor of Decanter Magazine.