Valley
Fire Status Report:
Impact to Lake County Wine Industry
As
of Wednesday morning, the Valley Fire has burned 70,000
acres with 30 percent containment. Nearly 2,800 firefighters
from around the state are gaining ground on the fire in wet
and drizzly conditions.
Many
local growers and wineries have been surveyed on the impacts
of the fire, and it is estimated that 85 percent of Lake County's
vineyards have not been affected by the fire.
Vineyard
managers and employees are gaining access to resume irrigation
and harvest operations. Beckstoffer Vineyards' Amber Knolls
is planning to harvest this evening, according to General Manager
Pedro Rubio.
"We
are an experienced and resilient farm community and committed
to delivering the highest quality grapes despite these challenging
conditions," said Lake County Winegrape Commission President
Debra Sommerfield.
Access
to properties and restoration of power in the southern part
of Lake County remains dependent upon on-going firefighting
operations.
Since the start of the fire, vineyard reservoirs have been used
as a source of water for fire-fighting efforts. Monica Rosenthal,
owner of R Vineyards, said, "We are grateful that firefighters
were able to fill their water tanks from our reservoir to help
fight the fire." The vineyards, located south of Middletown,
also acted as a fire break helping to stop the fire from moving
south toward Twin Pine Casino and beyond.
As
of Wednesday, 90 percent of Lake County wineries in the fire-affected
area have been able to resume operations or should be able to
process fruit in this vintage, thanks to the enormous efforts
of firefighters.
"I
will be making wine tomorrow," said winery owner Greg Graham
whose winery was impacted by road closures. "My employees
were able to get back in yesterday, and today we are focusing
on getting ready to harvest fruit tomorrow morning."
Jacquelyn
Farrington, Director of Hospitality at Six Sigma Ranch &
Winery reported that Brassfield has offered help with Six Sigma's
crush while the Ranch is still closed. "We are crushing
Malbec at Brassfield on Thursday. While we have some access
to the Ranch and know that our wines are safe and we have not
suffered damage, we do not have power to run the crush equipment,"
noted Farrington. "Matt Hughes, winemaker at Six Sigma
is working closely with Jason Moulton, winemaker at Brassfield,
to make sure that our final crush operations can proceed."
Jerry
Brassfield, owner of Brassfield Estate Winery said, "I
am happy to help Kaj Alhmann (Six Sigma Ranch & Winery)
anytime. I realize how important community is at a time like
this and am so impressed with the way that people are handling
this disaster. The Lake County community response is nothing
short of remarkable."
While
vineyard operations and wineries are working to get back online,
some employees are dealing with the loss of their homes. "We
are deeply saddened by the reports of employees in the Lake
County wine industry who have lost their homes but grateful
for their safety," said Lake County Winery Association
Executive Director Terry Dereniuk. "The stories of loss
are heartbreaking."
To
donate, please visit www.facebook.com/LakeCountyRising
or #LakeCountyRising on Twitter to learn more about the
Lake County Rising Fire Relief. Or send a check, made payable
to Lake County Wine Alliance, memo "Lake County Rising
Fire Relief Fund" to Lake County Wine Alliance, P.O. Box
530 Kelseyville, CA 95541.
For
a complete fire update, evacuation orders, and road closures,
go online to CalFIRE Incident Information at: http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents
or call the Valley Fire information center at (707) 967-4207.