Wildfires again threaten business in California wine country

HEALDSBURG, Calif.  — With an early harvest already underway, a wildfire a few miles west of John Bucher’s ranch added new urgency to getting his pinot noir grapes off the vine. If flames didn’t do any damage to the delicate fruit, ash and smoke certainly could.

Bucher hired an extra crew, and they finished the task before dawn Wednesday in the quaint wine country destination of Healdsburg, remarkably early in the year for a grape that is often not harvested until the end of September.

“It was just a race to get it done,” Bucher said, his voice hoarse after three days of almost no sleep and working in occasionally smoky conditions.

Fire has been cruel to Northern California wine country lately.

Three of the past four years, major wildfires have burned in Napa and Sonoma counties, charring vineyards, burning down a historic winery and sending plumes of smoke above the neatly tended rows of vines rolling across scenic hills.

While the majority of vineyards, winemaking facilities and tasting rooms that lure tourists from around the world have escaped damage, the perception of the area being on fire yet again has not helped business. Add restrictions on tastings and dining during the coronavirus pandemic, and winemakers say they are reeling.

“This year, you throw COVID on it, and what did we do to deserve this?” said Corey Beck, CEO and winemaking chief at Francis Ford Coppola Winery. “We really hurt more from the lack of tourists. That has been our Achilles’ heel during this time.”

The early fires pose a threat if they persist and heavy smoke blankets the region for several days before grapes are picked. That can lead to “smoke taint,” an undesirable burnt taste in wine made from grapes with skins permeated by smoke.

Some wineries that don’t have their own vineyards are opting out of buying some grapes this year because the risk is too great that a vintage could be spoiled by smoke, said Tawny Tesconi, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau.

“It’s almost like we’ve accepted that these situations are happening way too often in Sonoma County,” Tesconi said. “The devastation that wildfire can bring unexpectedly in a short period of time is more of a concern because you just have no control over it.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2GcTe8Z