California’s wildfires pose major threat to wine industry
Smoke hanging over vineyards for days can severely damage wine grapes with smoke taint — wines end up tasting and smelling like a damp ashtray
New York — Vineyard owners in California’s Napa and Sonoma regions and the Santa Cruz Mountains had planned to harvest grapes over the next few weeks. But with flames threatening wineries and homes, thousands of people have had to evacuate, although some winemakers and winery workers stayed to help fight the fires alongside Cal Fire, the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
It’s hard to grasp the extent of devastation. On Wednesday morning, August 26, Cal Fire reported that in the prior eight days, the LNU Lightning Complex fire engulfing Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Solano, and Yolo counties had burnt 357,046 acres, destroyed 978 structures, damaged an additional 256, and killed five people. One part, the Hennessey Fire in Napa and Lake counties, had accounted for 299,763 acres and was only 33% contained. In Sonoma, the component Walbridge fire had burnt 54,923 acres and is only 19% contained. Down in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a separate conflagration, the CZU August Ligh...
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