Up in smoke

Up in smoke

California wine country counts the cost of wildfire damage

Wildfires across the western United States, home to most of the country’s vineyards, have hit farmers and wine makers already reeling from the Trump administration’s trade wars and demand disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Smoke, harmful to wine grapes, has blanketed much of the West and fires have charred more than 4 million acres (1.6 million hectares) in California so far in 2020, more than twice the previous record for any year. Some wine areas have been much closer to the blazes than others, however.

Smoke, fire and vineyards

Average organic carbon in the atmosphere from Aug. 20 to Sept. 20, locations of wineries, and burned areas from fires this year.

CANADA

Pearl

Hill fire

Seattle

Washington

Willamette Valley

wine region

Portland

Wineries

Beachie

Creek fire

Smoke levels

Aug. 20 - Sept. 20

Oregon

Fires this year

UNITED STATES

Areas of prolonged

thick smoke

Nevada

LNU Lightning

Complex

Wine country

Napa Valley and

Sonoma wineries

San Francisco

SCU Lightning

Complex

Creek fire

Paso Robles

California

Santa Barbara

Bobcat fire

Los Angeles

MEXICO

CANADA

Pearl

Hill fire

Seattle

Washington

Willamette Valley

wine region

Portland

Wineries

Beachie

Creek fire

Smoke levels

Aug. 20 - Sept. 20

Idaho

Oregon

Fires this year

UNITED STATES

Areas of prolonged

thick smoke

Nevada

LNU Lightning

Complex

Wine country

Napa Valley and

Sonoma wineries

San Francisco

SCU Lightning

Complex

Creek fire

Paso Robles

California

Santa Barbara

Bobcat fire

Los Angeles

MEXICO

CANADA

Pearl

Hill fire

Seattle

Washington

Willamette Valley

wine region

Portland

Wineries

Beachie

Creek fire

Smoke levels

Aug. 20 - Sept. 20

Idaho

Oregon

Fires this year

Areas of prolonged

thick smoke

UNITED STATES

Nevada

LNU Lightning

Complex

Wine country

Napa Valley and

Sonoma wineries

San Francisco

SCU Lightning

Complex

Creek fire

Paso Robles

California

Santa Barbara

Bobcat fire

Los Angeles

MEXICO

CANADA

Pearl

Hill fire

Seattle

Washington

Willamette Valley

wine region

Portland

Wineries

Beachie

Creek fire

Smoke

Oregon

Fires

UNITED

STATES

Areas of

prolonged

thick smoke

Nevada

LNU Lightning

Complex

Wine country

Napa Valley and

Sonoma

San Francisco

Creek fire

Paso Robles

California

Santa Barbara

Los Angeles

CANADA

Pearl

Hill fire

Seattle

Washington

Willamette Valley

wine region

Portland

Wineries

Beachie

Creek fire

Smoke levels

Aug. 20 - Sept. 20

Idaho

Oregon

Fires this year

Areas of prolonged

thick smoke

UNITED STATES

Nevada

LNU Lightning

Complex

Wine country

Napa Valley and

Sonoma wineries

San Francisco

SCU Lightning

Complex

Creek fire

Paso Robles

California

Santa Barbara

Bobcat fire

Los Angeles

MEXICO

In California’s wine country, some wineries have completely burned down and others have had entire crops ruined by smoke and ash coating the delicate grapes yet to be harvested.

The active Glass Fire has destroyed dozens of buildings in the world-renowned Napa Valley, including the mansion-like Chateau Boswell winery and a farmhouse containing storage, bottling and fermentation facilities at the Castello di Amorosa winery, built to resemble a 13th-century Tuscan castle.

Wine bottles destroyed

Thousands of bottles of wine destroyed at the Castello di Amorosa winery in Calistoga, California. Sept 29, 2020. Adrees Latif, REUTERS.

vineyard burnt

Grapes destroyed at a vineyard in the aftermath of the Glass Fire. Sept. 30, 2020. Adrees Latif, REUTERS.

Dutch Henry Winery and Sherwin Family Winery told Reuters their wineries had burned to the ground, and local media have reported damage or destruction to many more.

The Newton Vineyard winery also went up in flames, according to a Reuters photographer who visited the site and who observed rivulets of red wine mixed with ash flowing down its main access road. Some wineries escaped with their structures still standing. One of these was the Davis Estates winery in Calistoga. On Sept. 27, strong winds swept the Glass fire onto the property and right through a line of fire retardant recently dropped by aircraft.

Calistoga winery before fire

Davis Estates winery before the Glass fire. Date unknown. Courtesy Mike Davis.

Calistoga winery after fire

Fire makes its way towards the winery. Sept. 27. Courtesy Mike Davis.

The family and remaining employees were evacuated but a team of firefighters helped to repel the flames and save the winery. Mike Davis, its proprietor, described how high winds turned the blaze into an “uncontrollable fire storm”.

Davis visited the estate with his wife, Sandy, the following day to see if anything was left.

“The last pictures I’d seen didn’t give us hope the property had survived,” he said. “After maneuvering past roadblocks, downed power poles, we saw a silhouette of the winery still standing. Both my wife and I were overwhelmed with emotion and cried like two-year-olds.”

Areas burned by

LNU Lightning Complex

fire in August

Napa Valley

wine region

Napa

vineyards

Pope Valley

Lake

Berryessa

Calistoga

Chiles Valley

Glass fire

Many vineyards

directly in path of fire

Napa Valley floor

Atlas Peak

Napa

Sonoma

Carneros area

No vineyard

data available

5 km

Areas burned by

LNU Lightning Complex

fire in August

Napa Valley

wine region

Napa

vineyards

Pope Valley

Dutch Henry

Winery and vineyard

burned down

Lake

Berryessa

Calistoga

Volker Eisele Family Estate

Entire crop ruined

Castello di Amorosa

Castello di Amorosa

Rustridge Winery

Entire crop ruined

Sherwin Family

Vineyard

Burned down

Chiles Valley

Glass fire

Elan Vineyards

Entire crop ruined

Many vineyards

directly in path of fire

Napa Valley floor

Atlas Peak

Napa

Sonoma

Carneros area

No vineyard

data available

5 km

Areas burned by

LNU Lightning Complex

fire in August

Napa Valley

wine region

Napa

vineyards

Pope Valley

Dutch Henry

Winery and vineyard

burned down

Lake

Berryessa

Calistoga

Volker Eisele Family Estate

Entire crop ruined

Castello di Amorosa

Rustridge Winery

Entire crop ruined

Castello di Amorosa

Sherwin Family Vineyard

Winery burned down

Chiles Valley

Glass fire

Elan Vineyards

Entire crop ruined

Many vineyards

directly in path of fire

Napa Valley floor

Atlas Peak

Napa

Sonoma

Carneros

No vineyard

data available

2 km

Areas burned by

LNU Lightning Complex

fire in August

Napa Valley

wine region

Napa

vineyards

Pope Valley

Lake

Berryessa

Calistoga

Chiles Valley

Glass fire

Many vineyards

in path of fire

Atlas Peak

Napa Valley floor

Sonoma

Napa

No vineyard

data available

Carneros

5 km

Areas burned by

LNU Lightning Complex

fire in August

Napa Valley

wine region

Napa

vineyards

Pope Valley

Dutch Henry

Winery and vineyard

burned down

Lake

Berryessa

Calistoga

Volker Eisele Family Estate

Entire crop ruined

Castello di Amorosa

Castello di Amorosa

Rustridge Winery

Entire crop ruined

Sherwin Family Vineyard

Winery burned down

Chiles Valley

Glass fire

Currently active

Elan Vineyards

Entire crop ruined

Many vineyards

directly in path of fire

Napa Valley floor

Atlas Peak

Napa

Sonoma

Carneros area

No vineyard

data available

Fairfield

2 km

Other parts of Napa Valley are still recovering from one of California’s largest fires on record in August that damaged crops and blanketed the valley with thick smoke.

“My crop insurance provider is dealing with 600 claims for smoke taint,” said Susan Meyer, owner of RustRidge Winery in Napa Valley.

“My crop is a total loss, both from the fire itself and the smoke that lingered for days. Many plants were burned by fire but others died from the heat exposure,” she said.

Other winemakers went ahead with the harvest and will assess the wine as it develops. “We ferment the 2020 wines as normal, put them to barrel, taste them non-stop along the way, and then add the results of the lab analysis to our body of knowledge as we work to assess the wines,” said Beth Milliken, President and CEO of Spottswoode Winery in Napa Valley.

In other areas it may be too early to fully assess the impact from this year’s fires, as many winemakers await the results of smoke testing from backlogged wine laboratories.

Smoke taint occurs when smoke is absorbed into the plant and concentrates in the fruit, altering a grape’s chemistry, and ultimately its taste, leaving some wines with “ashtray aromas”.

The leaves can absorb smoke compounds but have less of an impact compared to grapes.

SMOKE

SMOKE

The compounds in the smoke can be absorbed by the skin of the grape, releasing some sugars resulting in a smoky flavor in the wine.

The leaves can absorb smoke compounds but have less of an impact compared to grapes.

SMOKE

The compounds in the smoke can be absorbed by the skin of the grape, releasing some sugars resulting in a smoky flavor in the wine.

SMOKE

SMOKE

The leaves can absorb smoke compounds but have less of an impact compared to grapes.

SMOKE

The compounds in the smoke can be absorbed by the skin of the grape, releasing some sugars resulting in a smoky flavor in the wine.

SMOKE

The leaves can absorb smoke compounds but have less of an impact compared to grapes.

SMOKE

The compounds in the smoke can be absorbed by the skin of the grape, releasing some sugars resulting in a smoky flavor in the wine.

In the Atlas Peak appellation of Napa Valley, Elan Vineyards is also dealing with the aftermath of the LNU Complex fire.

Patrick Elliot-Smith, wine maker and owner of the family-run vineyard, told Reuters how he and his son stayed to defend the estate rather than evacuate in August, fighting fires over three days with water pumps and a box scraper on a tractor to cut fire breaks around the vineyard.

“It looks like a lunar landscape here”

Patrick Elliot-Smith, wine maker and owner of Elan Vineyards

The decision was made not to harvest any grapes this year or sell fruit to other winemakers due to smoke taint. “We cannot afford a bad vintage,” he said.

The delays in lab results can be problematic for wine makers facing an imminent decision whether to harvest or not, according to Elliot-Smith.

Labs overwhelmed

Gordon Burns, co-founder and technical director of ETS Laboratories, told Reuters it was far too early to speculate about the extent of impact on grapes in areas where smoke was persistent.

“Every location is different, and smoke exposure may be transitory and as little as none at all. Any fire impacts will certainly not be to the entire vintage in any of the affected winegrowing regions,” he added.

ETS is one of the country’s leading wine labs and is headquartered in Napa Valley. The lab is currently dealing with a backlog of smoke impact testing following this year’s fires. Last week, a notice on their website warned of a wait until November for new tests submitted.

The science of smoke taint

Grapevines are more sensitive to smoke uptake at different stages of the growing season. Research shows key periods of grapevine sensitivity, according to Western Australia’s Department of Agriculture and Food.

LOWER RISK

When the grapevine shows short shoots or flowering.

YOUNG

SHOOTS

FLOWERS

MID RISK

If the berries are pea sized or entering the “veraison” phase, where grapes first begin to ripen.

SMALL

GRAPES

VERAISON

HIGHER RISK

The higher risk of smoke taint begins seven days after veraison though to harvesting.

VINEGRAPES

LOWER RISK

When the grapevine shows short shoots or flowering.

FLOWERS

YOUNG

SHOOTS

MID RISK

If the berries are pea sized or entering the “veraison” phase, where grapes first begin to ripen.

SMALL

GRAPES

VERAISON

HIGHER RISK

The higher risk of smoke taint begins seven days after veraison though to harvesting.

VINEGRAPES

HIGHER RISK

LOWER RISK

MID RISK

When the grapevine shows short shoots or flowering.

If the berries are pea sized or entering the “veraison” phase, where grapes first begin to ripen.

The higher risk of smoke taint begins seven days after veraison though to harvesting.

YOUNG

SHOOTS

FLOWERS

SMALL

GRAPES

VERAISON

VINEGRAPES

HIGHER RISK

LOWER RISK

MID RISK

When the grapevine shows short shoots or flowering.

If the berries are pea sized or entering the “veraison” phase, where grapes first begin to ripen.

The higher risk of smoke taint begins seven days after veraison though to harvesting.

YOUNG SHOOTS

FLOWERS

SMALL GRAPES

VERAISON

VINEGRAPES

HIGHER RISK

LOWER RISK

MID RISK

When the grapevine shows short shoots or flowering.

If the berries are pea sized or entering the “veraison” phase, where grapes first begin to ripen.

The higher risk of smoke taint begins seven days after veraison though to harvesting.

YOUNG SHOOTS

FLOWERS

SMALL GRAPES

VERAISON

VINEGRAPES

Smoke exposure can also impact the functioning of the vine, result in the delay of fruit ripening or alter the sugar content of the fruit. The smoky flavour may appear during the fermentation process or even as late as after bottling.

Grapes that have already been picked from the vine before exposure are safe from smoke taint. Harvest timing plays a key role in whether a vintage is exposed and therefore ruined by smoke. These timings depend on both the local climate and the grape and can vary widely.

Harvest time

The graphic below shows harvest timings for the wine growing districts across the state of California by grape type, according to the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis.

Smoke levels

California avg. atmospheric organic carbon

Heavy smoke

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Grape harvesting

Viognier

Muscat Blanc

Sav. Blanc

Volume

Thickness represents amount of grape crushed in California, 2019

Chardonnay

642,000 tons

Pinot Noir

Syrah

Barbera

Still on the vines

Grapes may have been exposed to smoke.

French Colombard

Symphony

Merlot

Zinfandel

Cabernet Sauvignon

581,000 tons

Malbec

Muscat of Alexandria

Rubired

Smoke levels

California avg. atmospheric organic carbon

Heavy smoke

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Grape harvest periods

Viognier

Muscat Blanc

Sav. Blanc

Volume

Thickness represents amount of grape crushed in California in 2019

Chardonnay

642,000 tons

White grape

Pinot Noir

Red grape

Chenin Blanc

Syrah

Barbera

Burger

French Colombard

Symphony

Still on the vines

Mid to late-season grapes could have been subjected to smoke.

Merlot

Grenache

White Riesling

Zinfandel

Cabernet Sauvignon

581,000 tons

Malbec

Tannat

Cabernet Franc

Ruby Cabernet

Muscat of Alexandria

Rubired

Smoke levels

California avg. atmospheric organic carbon

Heavy smoke

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Grape harvest periods

Viognier

Muscat Blanc

Sav. Blanc

Volume

Thickness represents amount of grape crushed in California in 2019

Chardonnay

642,000 tons

White grape

Pinot Noir

Red grape

Chenin Blanc

Syrah

Barbera

Burger

French Colombard

Still on the vines

Most of these mid to late-season grapes likely to be unharvested. This means they could have been subjected to smoke.

Symphony

Merlot

Grenache

White Riesling

Zinfandel

Cabernet Sauvignon

581,000 tons

Malbec

Tannat

Cabernet Franc

Ruby Cabernet

Muscat of Alexandria

Rubired

Smoke levels

California state-wide average of atmospheric organic carbon

Heavy smoke

July

August

September

October

November

Grape harvest periods

across growing districts

Viognier

Muscat Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc

Volume

Thickness represents amount of grape crushed in California in 2019

Chardonnay

642,000 tons

White grape

Pinot Noir

Red grape

Chenin Blanc

California’s most popular white grape. Early harvest in certain areas means some grapes may have already been picked.

Syrah

Barbera

Burger

French Colombard

Symphony

Still on the vines

Most of these mid to late-season grapes likely to be unharvested. This means they could have been subjected to smoke.

Merlot

Grenache

White Riesling

Zinfandel

581,000 tons crushed in 2019

Cabernet Sauvignon

Malbec

Ruby Cabernet

Muscat of Alexandria

Rubired

Heavy smoke

Smoke levels

California state-wide average of atmospheric organic carbon

July

August

September

October

November

November

Grape harvest periods

across growing districts

Viognier

Muscat Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc

Volume

Thickness represents amount of grape crushed in California in 2019

Chardonnay

642,000 tons

California’s most popular white grape. Early harvest in certain areas means some grapes may have already been picked.

White grape

Pinot Noir

Red grape

Chenin Blanc

Syrah

Barbera

Burger

French Colombard

Symphony

Still on the vines

Most of these mid to late-season grapes likely to be unharvested. This means they could have been subjected to smoke.

Merlot

Grenache

White Riesling

Zinfandel

581,000 tons crushed in 2019

Cabernet Sauvignon

Malbec

Ruby Cabernet

Muscat of Alexandria

Rubired

“You have a far greater potential for tainted wine the closer you are to the fire,” said Eric Jensen, owner of Booker and My Favorite Neighbor wineries in California’s Paso Robles region.

“We’re testing constantly and we believe in Paso we’ll be blessed because of the distance that the smoke traveled to get to us. But in Napa and Sonoma, the proximity is causing issues.”

California is not the only state affected. Further North in Oregon’s picturesque Willamette Valley, Jason Hanson of Hanson Vineyards expects his crews may only harvest five tons of grapes, down from the 25 to 30 tons his fields yielded last year, due to smoke taint from nearby fires.

“With the dense smoke that we’ve had at the ground level for so long now, almost everything has to be affected or damaged,” Hanson said.

“I have a yearly fight with the birds. This year I’ll just let them win.” Oregon, Washington state and California together produce about 90% of all U.S. wine.

The true impact on the $70 billion industry will not be known for months as the wildfire season is not yet over, and crop damage can vary greatly.

Sources

Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), NASA;
National Interagency Fire Center;
University of California;
U.S. Department of Agriculture;
Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia;
U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB);
Napa County GIS catalog.

By:

Simon Scarr and Marco Hernandez

Additional work by:

Manas Sharma

Editing by:

Mike Collett-White