California’s wildfires pose major threat to wine industry
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New York — Vineyard owners in California’s Napa and Sonoma regions and the Santa Cruz Mountains had planned to harvest grapes over the next few weeks. But with flames threatening wineries and homes, thousands of people have had to evacuate, although some winemakers and winery workers stayed to help fight the fires alongside Cal Fire, the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
It’s hard to grasp the extent of devastation. On Wednesday morning, August 26, Cal Fire reported that in the prior eight days, the LNU Lightning Complex fire engulfing Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Solano, and Yolo counties had burnt 357,046 acres, destroyed 978 structures, damaged an additional 256, and killed five people. One part, the Hennessey Fire in Napa and Lake counties, had accounted for 299,763 acres and was only 33% contained. In Sonoma, the component Walbridge fire had burnt 54,923 acres and is only 19% contained. Down in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a separate conflagration, the CZU August Lightning Fire, had burnt nearly 79,000 acres and destroyed 330 structures.
And that’s just in northern California. In the entire state, one of the biggest fires to date encompasses 700 blazes that have already burnt more than 1.3-million acres — an area bigger than the state of Delaware.
What winemakers face
At Bohan Ranch on the west Sonoma coast, which provides pinot noir grapes to star wineries, George Bohan and his neighbours carved out trenches to hold back the blaze. In Napa, Cal Fire workers ultimately saved the historic Nichelini winery, one of the valley’s oldest, though flames engulfed outbuildings.
Bradley Brown, owner and winemaker at Big Basin Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, thought the redwood forest to the west of his house and winery would act as a firebreak. He lost his house, but his winery survived. “If the smoke ruins my grapes,” he says, “this would mean huge, irrecoverable loss, yet another strain on our already pandemic-affected business.”
Fortunately, the predictions of more lightning strikes for northern California for Sunday night and Monday didn’t come to pass. Although fires are still burning, many evacuation orders have been lifted. Cooler weather helped on Wednesday.
Smoke, however, is on everyone’s minds. A thick blanket of it hanging over vineyards for days can severely damage wine grapes with what’s called smoke taint. Wines that result taste and smell like a damp ashtray, making badly affected grapes unusable.
What happened
“It ...
It’s hard to grasp the extent of devastation. On Wednesday morning, August 26, Cal Fire reported that in the prior eight days, the LNU Lightning Complex fire engulfing Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Solano, and Yolo counties had burnt 357,046 acres, destroyed 978 structures, damaged an additional 256, and killed five people. One part, the Hennessey Fire in Napa and Lake counties, had accounted for 299,763 acres and was only 33% contained. In Sonoma, the component Walbridge fire had burnt 54,923 acres and is only 19% contained. Down in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a separate conflagration, the CZU August Lightning Fire, had burnt nearly 79,000 acres and destroyed 330 structures.
And that’s just in northern California. In the entire state, one of the biggest fires to date encompasses 700 blazes that have already burnt more than 1.3-million acres — an area bigger than the state of Delaware.
What winemakers face
At Bohan Ranch on the west Sonoma coast, which provides pinot noir grapes to star wineries, George Bohan and his neighbours carved out trenches to hold back the blaze. In Napa, Cal Fire workers ultimately saved the historic Nichelini winery, one of the valley’s oldest, though flames engulfed outbuildings.
Bradley Brown, owner and winemaker at Big Basin Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, thought the redwood forest to the west of his house and winery would act as a firebreak. He lost his house, but his winery survived. “If the smoke ruins my grapes,” he says, “this would mean huge, irrecoverable loss, yet another strain on our already pandemic-affected business.”
Fortunately, the predictions of more lightning strikes for northern California for Sunday night and Monday didn’t come to pass. Although fires are still burning, many evacuation orders have been lifted. Cooler weather helped on Wednesday.
Smoke, however, is on everyone’s minds. A thick blanket of it hanging over vineyards for days can severely damage wine grapes with what’s called smoke taint. Wines that result taste and smell like a damp ashtray, making badly affected grapes unusable.
What happened
“It ...