On the night of Sunday, Oct. 8, Northern California wine country was hit with a dangerous "perfect storm" of atmospheric conditions – warm temperatures, extremely low humidity, very strong winds – and bone dry fields and forests. Seventeen wildfires sprung up throughout the wine country counties of Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties. These were considered wildland urban interface fires, meaning forest fires within close proximity to human habitation and businesses. They were big and fast moving, among the worst in California's history. The result was a tragic toll on some communities, notably in Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. Some people lost their lives, many areas were evacuated and there are still locals who can't go home.
Yet, it could have been much worse. Firefighters mobilized quickly and crews from around California and beyond poured in to battle the Atlas, Nuns, Tubbs and Redwood Valley fires, among others. As heavy smoke shrouded much of wine country, teams of first responders made headway against the blazes and as of this writing, almost all of these fires have been extinguished. Happily, the smoke has long since blown away as wine country gets back to business. Most wineries, restaurants, hotels and related establishments are back open and undamaged. Fortunately when the fires hit, about 90 per cent of the grapes in wine country had already been harvested. And it turned out that the healthy vineyards proved to be a very effective firebreak.
The wildfires this month were among the worst in California’s history. Some people lost their lives, many areas were evacuated and there are still locals who can’t return home.
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"Although any loss is heartbreaking, we currently have confirmed reports of 15 wineries that were totally destroyed or severely damaged by the fires. This is a very small percentage and we urge potential visitors to continue their planned visits and support the grape and wine industry in Northern California," explains Anita Oberholster, a professor of enology at the University of California, Davis, which offers the country's premier enology and viticulture program.
And that's the message most people in wine country want to get out.
"Visiting will help Sonoma County's hospitality community get back to work," said Tim Zahner, interim CEO of Sonoma County Tourism. "Fans of the area are urged to continue to support Sonoma County wineries, breweries, cheese makers, farmers, and local artisans. Purchases of items that were bottled in, made in, grown in, brewed in or otherwise came from Sonoma County help local families recover economically."
A return to normal will also no doubt help emotionally. "There's no physical damage to our properties, but our psyche has been disrupted. We've experienced tremendous anxiety, sadness and stress caused by the loss of lives, the length and uncertainty of the wildfires and their destruction," said Amelia Moran Ceja, president and founder of Ceja Vineyards. "We encourage our neighbours and guests from across the country to visit us to enjoy our delicious wines and legendary hospitality and please also support our wine country community in the Napa and Sonoma Counties." (Many wineries in Napa Valley are donating tasting room fees as well as hosting fundraisers for fire relief.)
Almost no hotels were damaged and some – including the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn – helped feed displaced locals and first responders and offered other services such as hot showers. But now that the worst is over, most properties have fully reopened to the public. (It may be more difficult to find Airbnbs and other rental properties, however, as some are housing locals who still can not return to their homes.) Restaurants and wineries are virtually all open, and in fact, less crowded than usual. The small Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport is also up and running.
Rows of grapevines are covered in smoke from the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, in Napa, Calif. A potential postfire issue is that of ‘smoke taint,’ which may occur in the 2017 grape vintage.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Longer term, another potential postfire issue is that of "smoke taint," which may occur in the 2017 grape vintage. (Approximately 1,200 of the California's 4,600 wineries are situated in Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma Counties.) There is no absolute consensus, but most suggest this will not be a factor since most grapes were already harvested and smoke did not last for an extended period of time.
"Other than the tasting rooms being closed for a week, we had little direct impact from the fires," said David Duncan, president and chief executive of Silver Oak Winery. "All of our fruit was picked and the wines in the winery will be totally unaffected."
In fact, 2017 was shaping up to be an outstanding year for the vines.
"The fragrance of the fermenting grapes is now far stronger than the smell of smoke," said winemaker Kevin Morrisey of Ehlers Estate. The winery, in the northern Napa Valley, was untouched by the fires. "We'll get through this, as we always do. We're farmers after all."
Isabelle Adams, sales director at Soda Rock Winery, echoes the sentiment: "Our doors are open and we look forward to welcome our customers once again. My new mantra: rebuilding Sonoma one case at a time."