A burst pipe resulted in a wine collection that was a complete loss. The subterranean space where the wine was being kept was completely flooded with water that came from a compromised pipe that was recently replaced by a plumbing company. What made it a total loss instead of just a partial due to water damage on the labels, was compounded by two factors. One was the temperature variance as the wines had to be removed from the space to dry, during a heat wave (the flood also damaged the air conditioning unit which was inoperable, resulting in an environment that was in the 80s and 90s). The second, and more serious, was that there was a rodent trap filled with rat poisoning on the floor of the same room. This poison quickly mixed with the flood water, and compromised every bottle that the water touched.
Luckily the valuation was accepted without contest, and the full amount was paid out by the plumbing company. While the wines were lost, most were replaceable.
Take away's:
Always have a current inventory sheet. We got very lucky in that there were only a few wines with missing labels that could not be identified.
Keep wines stored away from large appliances that may be giving off heat or vibration.
Use alternatives to poison for pest control.
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