Post-Fire Sonoma County FAQs

An almost unimaginable disaster struck several counties, including Sonoma and Napa, with the bulk of the damage and loss of life in Sonoma's largest city, Santa Rosa. People will have questions about the wine and about visiting the area. Here's the information and speculation we have now.

Scope of the Fire and Smoke

There were multiple fires throughout the area with the largest in northern Napa, the hills in southern Napa, the Santa Rosa area of Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley north and south. Heavy smoke covered most of the area for several days and eventually was blown over much of the state.

Wine Quality for the 2017 Vintage

First off, any wines you're buying now are not affected. Second, only a small percentage of wineries and vineyards were affected.

Every time there's smoke many people want to compare it to the 2008 fires that covered much of Mendocino and northern Sonoma in smoke for the month of June. There were a lot of smoke-tainted wines (yes, you could smell the smoke in the wine). What has happened in October is different in the duration of the smokey air and the time of year. Most all grapes were picked before the fires. Plus what happens to the grapes in June when they are growing vs. in the autumn when they are pretty much mature will be different. Does this mean no smoke taint on any wines from grapes harvested after the fire? I don't know, but you can't write off the year because a very small part of the wines might be affected.

Another thing to wonder about is that many wineries were off limits for a week or two because of nearby fires during the time of year when they are processing the fruit. So what happens when the grapes sit, possibly in open-top fermenters (juice is exposed to the air), and there may be no electricity to control temperatures? I don't know that answer to this one either. Nobody does yet.

Wine Shortages

There will be some lost wine in the 2017 vintage, but if shouldn't be enough to change overall prices or availability.  Remember that Napa and Sonoma are only a small part of California's premium growing region.

Why Not to Visit Now

I'm sitting a mile from smoldering ruins in Santa Rosa two weeks after the fire. The skies are clear, but the smell of smoke lingers and I wear a respirator when doing outside work. Several hotels in Santa Rosa were destroyed lowering the available rooms in this area. Many displaced people who lost their homes are currently staying in hotels and often they had to go many miles away to find a room. Many businesses, including wineries and restaurants, are just getting back up to speed and not all are open yet. All of this will improve quickly over the next few weeks as things slowly return to normal.

Why Visit Now

Many have cancelled their plans to visit. The winter months, beginning with November, are a bit slower anyway. This means if you visit you won't have many others to compete with for tasting rooms and restaurants. It'll be like the "old days" before Napa and Sonoma became world famous. And remember that only a portion of the area was in any way affected by the fires. The economy of the area runs on wine tourism. If you decide to visit you'll no doubt be greeted with smiles and maybe even a hug!