# Napa and Sonoma wildfires



## pgentile (Oct 9, 2017)

Hope these wildfires get under control quickly. 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/09/us/california-fires/index.html


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## stickman (Oct 9, 2017)

That's not good news, I hope everyone out there is ok. 

I actually have Cabernet that was scheduled for harvest this week in Sonoma. I'm sure harvest will be delayed.


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## Kraffty (Oct 9, 2017)

I have family that have had to evacuate in santa rosa, last update looked like over 1500 homes and building destroyed. Really not good at all.


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## montanaWineGuy (Oct 9, 2017)

Glad I'm a wine maker, and not a wine buyer. Although I make fruit wines, and my results are somewhat chaotic, when it is good, it is as good as some of what I have sampled from Napa and Sonoma.


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## montanaWineGuy (Oct 9, 2017)

Kraffty said:


> I have family that have had to evacuate in santa rosa, last update looked like over 1500 homes and building destroyed. Really not good at all.



I have family in Ukiah. So far they are safe, but only time will tell. I can't remember hearing about 1500 homes being destroyed in a single California fire. And with containment at little or none. That area is dry grass and mountainous.


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## jswordy (Oct 9, 2017)

Looks nasty. Sigh...


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## pgentile (Oct 10, 2017)

Fires burn through at least five wineries in Napa and Sonoma valleys. California getting hit hard. 

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/10/fires-destroy-at-least-four-wineries-in-napa-valley-.html


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## Boatboy24 (Oct 10, 2017)

Some serious damage, and sadly, loss of life. Vines, barrels, and bottles are likely insured; but you can't bring back loved ones. I hope it settles down soon.


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## Johnd (Oct 10, 2017)

pgentile said:


> Fires burn through at least five wineries in Napa and Sonoma valleys. California getting hit hard.
> 
> https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/10/fires-destroy-at-least-four-wineries-in-napa-valley-.html



So sad. I’m a member of the Signorello wine club, one of the best wine / food pairings I’ve ever been to. Beautiful grounds on the hillside overlooking the valley floor and vineyards..........


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## sour_grapes (Oct 10, 2017)

Wow, this is really hard to watch. I was near there (in Lake County) in the midst of wildfires a few years ago. We even looked at homes for sale in the area. After we were safely home, everywhere we were visiting was destroyed. This current fire, on the other hand, has moved like a wraith, before you know what is going on. Best of luck to everyone in that area...


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## montanaWineGuy (Oct 10, 2017)

High winds to begin again tomorrow. This long from being over.


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## NorCal (Oct 10, 2017)

Took off out of Sacramento airport this morning, could see nothing but smoke filled skies.


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## skyfire322 (Oct 10, 2017)

It really is sad. Not just for the wineries there, but the entire area in general. 

I was just in Santa Rosa three weeks ago. I talked to a winemaker there, and he had said the harvest was really challenging this season because the lack of rain and the week before, they had that bad heat wave.


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## pgentile (Oct 11, 2017)

Johnd said:


> So sad. I’m a member of the Signorello wine club, one of the best wine / food pairings I’ve ever been to. Beautiful grounds on the hillside overlooking the valley floor and vineyards..........



CNN covered Signorello earlier this evening, they didn't lose 2015, 2016 vintage they were off site and the vineyards remain intact, but all the buildings were completely razed and I guess all other vintages were lost.


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## montanaWineGuy (Oct 11, 2017)

Approaching epic Hurricane level destruction. Tomorrow is to continue same level of loses.


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## Johnd (Oct 11, 2017)

pgentile said:


> CNN covered Signorello earlier this evening, they didn't lose 2015, 2016 vintage they were off site and the vineyards remain intact, but all the buildings were completely razed and I guess all other vintages were lost.



2017 was in tanks, on site. Lost 50+ year old vines. Super tough stuff, hard to recover from without great insurance, or a monstrous bank account. Hope they have one or the other.......


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## pgentile (Oct 11, 2017)

montanaWineGuy said:


> Approaching epic Hurricane level destruction. Tomorrow is to continue same level of loses.



22 major fires still blazing. Horrible. I hope no more loss of life at least.


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## JohnT (Oct 12, 2017)

GEEEEEZE! 

Fire, Floods, Hurricanes, Earthquakes... 

I feel that I should be on the lookout for four hooded guys on horseback! 

My heart goes out to all of these disaster victims!


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## Johnd (Oct 13, 2017)

I've gotten updats from most of the Napa wineries that I've visited there, the vast majority of their employees and their wineries / vineyards are still safe.

Good news from Signorello, who lost their beautiful facility, their past vintage wines are all OK, as is the 2017 harvest, and the vineyards were not damaged (as had been previously reported). A lot easier to replace buildings than old vines.............


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## pgentile (Oct 13, 2017)

Wine boils.

https://weather.com/safety/wildfire...nery-has-boiling-river-of-wine-after-wildfire


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## richmke (Oct 14, 2017)

Any guess if enough vines were damaged to affect the cost of juice over the next few years while replacement vines get established?


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## Rocky (Oct 15, 2017)

richmke said:


> Any guess if enough vines were damaged to affect the cost of juice over the next few years while replacement vines get established?



Rich, the fires will surely not have a positive effect on prices. Where the vineyards have been destroyed it will require at least 3 years for any meaningful production. I am planning to stock up on kits that I might make this year and early next year. There is still South America and Italy but I expect to see upward pressure on pricing from California. I realize that this sounds cold and self serving, but it is the reality.


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## pgentile (Oct 19, 2017)

Report on 23 wineries, with photo gallery.

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/...he-22-wineries-damaged-by-wine-country-fires/


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## GaDawg (Oct 20, 2017)

Rocky said:


> Rich, the fires will surely not have a positive effect on prices. Where the vineyards have been destroyed it will require at least 3 years for any meaningful production. I am planning to stock up on kits that I might make this year and early next year. There is still South America and Italy but I expect to see upward pressure on pricing from California. I realize that this sounds cold and self serving, but it is the reality.



Rocky, I agree, I also think lack of supply in California will also increase prices in other regions because it is a world market.

I would love to know how bad you believe it will be. How many kits do you usually make in a year and how many are you ordering? Thanks in advance.


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## GaDawg (Oct 20, 2017)

What research has been done is largely in Australia, where bush fires have been increasing dramatically since 2002. The Australian Wine Research Institute publishes a fact sheet for growers on grapevine recovery from fire. Slight damage, such as some shriveled leaves, has little impact on growth or fruit production the next season. Medium intensity damage, in which the vine is scorched but has green wood visible under the bark, results in a reduction of fruit. Vines also don’t have to be on fire to be destroyed; damage can occur from heat radiating from adjacent burning forest or buildings. The grimmest prognosis comes with high intensity damage. If a substantial part of the trunk is damaged, “no remedial treatment is justified.” If a small slice into the vine wood shows brown or discolored tissue, you’ve got “tissue necrosis, organelle leakage, and vessel or cell death.” Even slightly damaged vines are vulnerable to pathogens like fungi. And you have to give up or start over.
http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...w_the_fires_might_affect_california_wine.html


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## Rocky (Oct 21, 2017)

GaDawg said:


> Rocky, I agree, I also think lack of supply in California will also increase prices in other regions because it is a world market.
> 
> I would love to know how bad you believe it will be. How many kits do you usually make in a year and how many are you ordering? Thanks in advance.



Dawg, I plan to make a full 200 gallons next year with both kits and juice buckets. I also buy a few lugs of grapes and make my own grape packs. I am thinking of 10-15 kits and the rest juice with grapes packs.


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## Stressbaby (Oct 22, 2017)

NYT article from yesterday on the fires and effect on the wines:
Wildfires Spared the Vineyards, but the Wines Could Suffer


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## 4score (Oct 22, 2017)

Stressbaby said:


> NYT article from yesterday on the fires and effect on the wines:
> Wildfires Spared the Vineyards, but the Wines Could Suffer



That was interesting....thanks for the link.


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## pgentile (Nov 1, 2017)

Major fires are out and/or under control.

"The Napa Valley Vintners trade group reports that while wine inventories from previous vintages were generally unharmed and losses were minimal, the volume of the 2017 vintage will be lower than average; “How much lower is undetermined,” the group said on its website, “but early, anecdotal estimates project shortages to be comparable to other years affected by the common irregularities of farming, like drought, frost damage, etc. Napa Valley accounts for just 4 percent of all the wine made in California. Even if there are some losses for the 2017 vintage, there will be virtually no impact on the greater volume of the California wine industry. While some vineyards may need replanting, the actual number is not yet known and may not be understood until future growing seasons.”"

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/...ffectively-contained-the-wine-country-blazes/


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