California fires bring catastrophe for wine
Though it comes as no surprise for most the world to hear that the state of California is on fire once again, it happens practically every year, but this fall is proving to be historic as this month alone has already brought the deadliest and most destructive series of blazes in the history of California, and officials say it's far from over for the season.
The state of California alone have already seen more than 11,200 fires so far this year, but Just within the past week, 12 to 17 large wildfires pushed by wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour have burned over More than 200,000 acres in the wine country fires alone, and several thousand more are ablaze in Southern California where the Santa Ana winds are fanning flames as we type. As of now, it's said that 245,000 acres of land and more than 5,700 structures including homes and businesses that have been completely destroyed... and the fires are still going!
Immediately below, you will see home footage showing the winds which need factoring in, especially throughout the night as that's when they pick up the most power and spread the flames. One fire grew from 20 acres to over 200 acres in just one night! Take a look and Imagine the Fear and Shock these poor people are going through~
According to the state, more than 100,000 people were evacuated from there homes at the height of the fires, many of which will prove in need of a new home once everything is said and done. As of now, more than 40 people are reported to have perished in the fires and dozens more still remain missing. "Essentially it was a forest fire, a wildfire, that moved into an urban area. At some point it was jumping from house to house, not tree to tree" said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA.
Because agriculture is the main industry of the golden state, especially in the central part of our state, these fires have many concerned not only with the immediate danger, but too, the long term impact the fire damage is going to have on the overall whole of the state. One of the most concerning of the fires is the destruction to the states vineyards which have been burning. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture Napa has 45,341 acres of vineyards planted with 59,509 acres planted in Sonoma County, which supplies 85% of the country’s wine demand and generated $15.2 billion in taxes in 2016, a big chunk of revenue to the state as well as a potentially devastating blow to there reputation globally as wine producers.
“Depending on how widespread the destruction of vines is across Wine Country, it could mark a severe shortage of grapes for years to come" wrote wine writer Esther Mobley of the San Francisco Chronicle. Wines contributes $57 billion to the state economy in California by some estimates including the LA Times.
Mayacamas Vineyards is among the oldest wineries to suffer damage because of the blaze, established in Napa back in 1889. They lost there Tasting Room but fortunately had built there winery of stone so overall came out okay, unlike Signorello Estate Vineyards which burned to the ground though are determined to rebuild as do the Sill Family Vineyards in Napa and too, Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa plans on rebuilding also. State officials are still awaiting an official report as to how many wineries were completely destroyed and only time will tell which will stay and rebuild and which will cut there losses and move on. Helena View Johnston Vineyards in Calistoga was also completely destroyed but haven't indicated what there future plans may be.
Patland Estate Vineyards, Signorello Estate, Paras Vineyard, Chimney Rock, Stags’ Leap Winery, Jarivs Estate and several more wineries that have sustained significant damage while others lucked out with only minimal if any damage at all. Some lost outbuildings while others lost complete structures. Some lost there wine while others lost there grapevines, which might not sound like much until you realize that a single acre of vines can cost an estimated $15,000-$25,000 to replant, not to mention takes at least 3-4 years to establish enough to Start producing fruit.
Raymond Chalifoux stated "What I'm the most worried about (I'm talking about the wine industry, of course) is the long term effect on local micro climates - the disappearance of hundreds of acres of forest and the "opening" of new corridors that can change completely the "micro weather". What I mean is that in Burgundy, nobody grow Cabernet cause it's too cold. In Norther Cal a guy can grow Riesling with great success and another guy half a mile down the same road can grow grenache and mourvedre because he locally has the perfect micro climate to do it..."
Please take a few moments to see Some of the damage left behind from the fire of wine country:
Fortunately there seems to come some fairly good news as the Sonoma County Winegrowers and the Napa Valley Vintners group both estimated that 90 percent of the region’s grapes had already been harvested by the weekend before the fires broke out and say that the grape remaining on the vine are those with a thicker skin and so there hope is that any damage sustained from the smoke is minimal. Once the damage is all assessed we will have a better idea as to the future impact the fires are going to prove to have on the California wine industry.
As always, we Thank you for your continued interest and support, please stay tuned for future updates on this and other news of interest. Blessings to you all~ go in a good way.
