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Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2008 > June > 24 > Entry
‘Wine country’ fire? Well, yes and no …
What image comes to your mind when you hear — as we have back east many times in the last 36 hours — that ‘wine country’ is on fire?
Raging infernos engulfing vineyards? Historic wineries going up in flames? Yeah, me too.
But those TV news “teaser” headlines were a tad overblown, it turns out. I don’t mean to minimize the wildfires that are still raging in some parts of California, but the corner of Napa County where one of the fires began was apparently a pretty remote place, and the true Napa Valley wine country — where the bulk of the vineyards and wineries are — doesn’t appear to have been seriously threatened by this fire in the corner of the county.
The Napa Valley Register reports that the Napa fire is under control and suggests the fire crossed over into a neighboring county soon after it started. However, many fires in various parts of northern California still out of control as of this morning, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
One thing to keep in mind: counties in California are immense, compared to counties in say, Ohio. And even in Napa, the actual percentage of acres under vine is smaller than what we might think.
But that didn’t stop folks in the news industry (that would be my colleagues, yes) from leaping to conclusions and reaching for a slightly sensationalized headline.
Now, let’s hope for a break in the weather that will help firefighters make sure this doesn’t truly become a “wine country fire.”
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Comments
By DON
July 2, 2008 1:13 PM | Link to this
I am coming to Napa Valley on a tour beginning Sept19th.We are then returning to SF to drive down US1 TO San Diego. What can we expect from the fires? Any info would be appreciated. We are considering cancelling out trip. Thanks, DON
By Christophe - Titus Vineyards
June 25, 2008 12:39 PM | Link to this
Hi Mark, I originally moved to Napa from North Carolina. Imagine my surprise as I drove down Soscol and found the median on fire the other day. I have not heard of any serious vineyard damage yet and they say that things are under control. I will say that the smoke has sopped in the valley, especially the first couple of days. Just this last Sunday I could barely see 200 yards down the road and I was sober.
By Jo
June 24, 2008 6:46 PM | Link to this
It’s so easy when you’re far away to have a concept of what is and what isn’t. (I remember my mother calling me after the LA earthquake wanting to know if we were okay… I live in Sonoma County… eight hour drive from LA, as the crow flies.) Also, even when one’s close, the Napa”ites” don’t even know their neighbor Suisun Valley are just over the county line and in Fairfield… moments from them and with vineyards whose wines are now falling into the “high scores” category… Stealth winemaking, I guess… Suisun Valley Grape Growers Association. That Suisun Valley AVA sits right on the county lines of Napa and Solano. There ARE vineyards right over the county line, so there was a good amount of property that had the growers in Suisun on high alert. I spoke with Don Johnson today of Winerhawk. Don said that he was on evacuation alert, but the fire was 80 percent contained, temperatures were down a bit, winds were down a bit, so no doubt this will pass… It’s an amazing thing to have the sky orange from the smoke, the air so dirty that I’m keeping my cats inside (remember, I’m in Sonoma - west of Napa, and the knowledege that someone in Napa hasn’t made it over the hill to realize there are vineyards in them thar Fairfield hills…
By Arthur, winesooth.com
June 24, 2008 1:24 PM | Link to this
Hi Mark, Often the news are sensationalized and overstated for dramiatic effect. Good call on that. While there may be no imminent fire threat to the grapes, there is recent evidence that smoke exposure during certain parts of the growth cycle can negatively affet the wine.
By Linda
June 24, 2008 12:12 PM | Link to this
I am sitting here smelling smoke from the Napa fires and I am 2 hours away and at 2000 ft. The smoke is drifting this way to the Sierra’s. It looks like an overcast day because it is that dense. Mark is correct in that the media over reacts at times. The fire is not near wine country and is closer to Fairfield moving away from Napa. With now over 500 wineries in Napa alone, I hope that we do not see anymore lightning strikes that causes these fires there or anywhere.