ABOUT 5,000 bottles of high-end wine have been stolen from an award-winning vineyard.

Thieves took about £80,000 worth of the quality produce from the Bolney Wine Estate after breaking into the warehouse.

Retail manager Aimee Knight said: “They obviously have very good taste because they went for some of our top wines, so they knew what they were looking for.

“It is a huge, huge quantity of wine to shift. It is quality wine, not something you see every day, so we are not sure what they plan to do with it.

“We know where it is sold, so if it suddenly pops up somewhere else. It is very frustrating, very upsetting. Making wine is a very, very hard thing.”

Ms Knight said a manager arriving at the estate in Foxhole Lane, Bolney, near Haywards Heath, at 8.30am yesterday noticed the warehouse door had been forced open. It is believed intruders broke in some time after 6pm the previous evening.

The wines taken were a Blanc de Blancs 2009, Cuvée Rosé 2010, Bolney Bubbly NV, Sirrius Rosé 2010, Lychgate White 2013 and Linter’s Red 2013.

The latter is produced exclusively for Marks & Spencer and has an M&S back label.

It is believed the thieves did not use a forklift and therefore may have shifted the wine out by hand. Police were at the estate yesterday and officers are also looking at CCTV in the area.

The wine is normally sold in upmarket shops such as Waitrose and Marks and Spencer as well as independent merchants, restaurants and on-site.

Ms Knight appealed for anyone offered the wine at knock-down prices or outside normal stockists to get in touch.

She added: “This is the first time we have been broken into. We have somebody that lives on site but they did not hear anything, unfortunately.”

A spokesman for Sussex Police confirmed officers had been called at 8.45am yesterday and inquiries were ongoing.

He added: “More than 4,000 bottles of wine with a total estimated value of more than £80,000 were stolen by intruders who broke into a warehouse between 6pm on Thursday and 8.45am today.”

Anyone with information should email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk quoting serial 258 of February 27, call 101 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.