Wine Country Fires

[boyst]

Carolina wines will flourish

[Wacka]

The city of Santa Rosa got really hit. Its not a small place- 170,000 people. I had been there many times for work when I lived in CA. Right next to the mobile home park that burned up was a kaiser-permanents hospital. They evacuated the hospital, but luckily it didn't burn. across the street were two hotels that went up. The neighborhood to the west is just devastated.

[Dante]

The drought broke - and the ensuing rain made a bunch of new green kindling all across the state. High winds and high heat with more stuff to burn in almost a decade is why we are on fire currently.

I've been here for 17 years and this may have been the hottest/driest summer that I can remember. And most summers are very hot here. It is the first time I can remember 3 or 4 days over 110. As you mentioned, we had lots of rain last winter and there you go. We still have a few friends that have evacuated but don't know the status of their home yet. One for sure burnt down.

[CowgirlsFan]

I've been here for 17 years and this may have been the hottest/driest summer that I can remember. And most summers are very hot here. It is the first time I can remember 3 or 4 days over 110. As you mentioned, we had lots of rain last winter and there you go. We still have a few friends that have evacuated but don't know the status of their home yet. One for sure burnt down.

 

Gets more heartbreaking every update.

 

My thoughts to all.

[sullim4]

Will help finger lakes wineries sales? Lot of them suck.

 

Oh my, I don't mean to derail the thread, but you're spot on. We were up for the Bills game against Denver a few weeks ago, and stopped off at Bully Hill and Heron Hill. Bully Hill had 35-40 (!?!) different wines and they were all just terrible. Heron Hill was slightly better, the whites were ok, but the reds, geez, why bother making them if they taste like that? With 35 different wines being sold, it felt more like the winemaker was throwing darts against a wall to see what sticks rather than concentrate his or her energy around a handful of good blends and quality varietals.

 

The ice wines, on the other hand... those were delicious if you can appreciate the high residual sugar content.

 

I try not to be a snob. I'm perfectly happy with an $8 bottle of Argentinian malbec. The finger lakes wine, however, was just undrinkable. I would expect the "winners" in this to be the owners of California vineyards that survive, in addition to the wines coming from Oregon and Washington. The PNW wines are underrated imo and rival those produced in Napa and Sonoma.

[DC Tom]

 

There's "Fake News" and then there's "We Have No Idea What We're Talking About" news.

 

The issue is not the grapes on the vines. It's have the vines been destroyed. It takes three years for a vine to produce any viable grapes. And the production levels at that age are probably pretty low. So it's the future production of wine that will suffer for many many years. Glad I don't drink anymore or I'd have to get a second job to afford the prices coming up.

 

I knew that. I was actually looking in to wine futures this morning - I know they exist, but couldn't figure out how to buy them.

 

Oh my, I don't mean to derail the thread, but you're spot on. We were up for the Bills game against Denver a few weeks ago, and stopped off at Bully Hill and Heron Hill. Bully Hill had 35-40 (!?!) different wines and they were all just terrible. Heron Hill was slightly better, the whites were ok, but the reds, geez, why bother making them if they taste like that? With 35 different wines being sold, it felt more like the winemaker was throwing darts against a wall to see what sticks rather than concentrate his or her energy around a handful of good blends and quality varietals.

 

The ice wines, on the other hand... those were delicious if you can appreciate the high residual sugar content.

 

I try not to be a snob. I'm perfectly happy with an $8 bottle of Argentinian malbec. The finger lakes wine, however, was just undrinkable. I would expect the "winners" in this to be the owners of California vineyards that survive, in addition to the wines coming from Oregon and Washington. The PNW wines are underrated imo and rival those produced in Napa and Sonoma.

 

Or Virginia wines. The VA wine industry is about where CA was in the late 70's, quality-wise.

[ExiledInIllinois]

The drought broke - and the ensuing rain made a bunch of new green kindling all across the state. High winds and high heat with more stuff to burn in almost a decade is why we are on fire currently.

I confused. How does green (wetter wood) kindling burn better? With a higher moisture content, wouldn't it be harder to get going? "Green" is right off the living tree. That doesn't burn well.

 

I am thinking the moisture from the rain and mountain snow run-off on the already seasoned (not green, but dry) wood dried off during the summer (dry season)... Created super-seasoned wood. Is that what you mean?

When we get a lot of rain it's typically worse. Means there's more vegetation to burn. It's always dry this time of year regardless how much rain we had in the winter. Just more fuel.

I didn't know that... Rain must take down a lot of vegetation, causing more under brush.

 

Do they regularly clear the underbrush. I was talking to my father a few years ago, he was listening to something about they don't do the clearing as diligent as they did in previous eras (pre-"let it go natural" enviro bullcrap). ??

 

There's "Fake News" and then there's "We Have No Idea What We're Talking About" news.

 

The issue is not the grapes on the vines. It's have the vines been destroyed. It takes three years for a vine to produce any viable grapes. And the production levels at that age are probably pretty low. So it's the future production of wine that will suffer for many many years. Glad I don't drink anymore or I'd have to get a second job to afford the prices coming up.

That's what I was thinking all along. The vines for subsequent years. The news when it comes to science and getting it right is so phucked up! Trust me, with my so called "obsession" 😉😉... You simply can't trust what the media is puking out there! It isn't really fake as so much totally rearranged set of facts and reguritated crap from other sources. Like telling a story to one person, then they pass it on to 20 more. The 21st person gets it and everything is screwed up, embellished or just flat wrong!

[sherpa]

I seriously doubt it will have any impact on retail wine prices.

There is so much on the market.

Expect a lot more truck traffic between the San Joaquin Valley and Napa-Napa's little secret.

 

On the California weather thing, re fires, they're never happy.

If it's a wet winter there's more fuel for the fire season.

If it's a dry winter the fire season is extended.

It was non stop annual complaints, no matter what.

Twelve years there, six near Napa, and no matter what weather they had, it was going to be a bad fire season.

Edited October 11, 2017 by sherpa

[ExiledInIllinois]

I seriously doubt it will have any impact on retail wine prices.

There is so much on the market.

Expect a lot more truck traffic between the San Joaquin Valley and Napa-Napa's little secret.

 

On the California weather thing, re fires, they're never happy.

If it's a wet winter there's more fuel for the fire season.

If it's a dry winter the fire season is extended.

It was non stop annual complaints, no matter what.

Twelve years there, six near Napa, and no matter what weather they had, it was going to be a bad fire season.

I guess not having rain regulary will do that. First time I ever saw a "burn" was here. Controlled burns along the highway. Of all places here in Midwest. They were controlled prairie burns though, one they do seasonally across the river to keep prairie in a "natural state." I would have never thought in such a humid climate, that fires would be necessary. I guess it is Mutha Nature's way of regenerating the earth. Just as long as it doesn't get in our (human's) way!

 

Praying for all in fire country!!!

[The Dean]

Holy crap! I'm just hearing about this now? I guess that's the price I pay for purposefully staying away from news media. But I have friends in the area who I'd think would have told me. On the other hand, they have other things on their mind, and are probably wondering why I haven't checked in. D'oh!

 

Some of the places Chef's wife noted are among those I visited regularly.

 

Very tragic.

[KD in CA]

We moved out here a little more than a year ago -- we're in Marin, about 35 miles south of Sonoma. Sunday night they were talking about fires on the news but it didn't sound that serious. But I woke up early Monday AM smelling smoke from that far away and by the time I was going to work there was a haze over the whole area and you could see ash falling like snow flurries. This morning the haze was even heavier -- you could stare directly at the rising sun this morning here; it looked like a sun setting over NYC or LA with the pollution filter.

 

This has been stunning, people aren't talking about anything else here. Lots of focus on evacuations, shelters filling up, etc. They are starting to find bodies in areas where fires have passed, especially Santa Rosa. Terrible what happened there. And as bad as it's been, it's far from over. Multiple major fires still out of control and after a relatively cool and calm day today, the winds are supposed to come back strong tonight and tomorrow.

[Augie]

Prayers out to anyone near that crazy stuff! When in doubt, leave early!!!

[KD in CA]

Prayers out to anyone near that crazy stuff! When in doubt, leave early!!!

 

That was the crazy thing, it happened so suddenly. The winds picked up late Sunday and these fires just exploded. Lots of stories of people waking up to flames practically at their front door, people literally running for their lives in many cases. Just crazy.

I guess not having rain regulary will do that.

 

It rained lightly for about an hour once.....since April

[Chef Jim]

I seriously doubt it will have any impact on retail wine prices.

There is so much on the market.

Expect a lot more truck traffic between the San Joaquin Valley and Napa-Napa's little secret.

 

On the California weather thing, re fires, they're never happy.

If it's a wet winter there's more fuel for the fire season.

If it's a dry winter the fire season is extended.

It was non stop annual complaints, no matter what.

Twelve years there, six near Napa, and no matter what weather they had, it was going to be a bad fire season.

Well its not always a bad fire season. Its like saying every winter in WNY is bad. Its not. Sure there is snow every year but not piles of it.

We moved out here a little more than a year ago -- we're in Marin, about 35 miles south of Sonoma. Sunday night they were talking about fires on the news but it didn't sound that serious. But I woke up early Monday AM smelling smoke from that far away and by the time I was going to work there was a haze over the whole area and you could see ash falling like snow flurries. This morning the haze was even heavier -- you could stare directly at the rising sun this morning here; it looked like a sun setting over NYC or LA with the pollution filter.

 

This has been stunning, people aren't talking about anything else here. Lots of focus on evacuations, shelters filling up, etc. They are starting to find bodies in areas where fires have passed, especially Santa Rosa. Terrible what happened there. And as bad as it's been, it's far from over. Multiple major fires still out of control and after a relatively cool and calm day today, the winds are supposed to come back strong tonight and tomorrow.

Those things blow up. They are often driven by high winds this time of year. The fires create their own winds which whip up the fires even more. Up north you have more eucalyptus trees. Those are torches with roots.

[CowgirlsFan]

Just heartbroken for everyone there.

[Chef Jim]

 

I knew that. I was actually looking in to wine futures this morning - I know they exist, but couldn't figure out how to buy them

 

I did some wine futures buying. What typically happened was youd go to a barrel tasting and theyd give you samples directly from the barrel. Wine that was on the vine just a few weeks earlier which was very cool in itself. You buy a case or whatever right there. Theyd email you when they were bottled 6-12 months later and youd go pick it up. It was like Christmas. You had paid for them so long ago it was like getting free wine! There was a couple times Id show up to pick up my club wine and theyd say oh your futures are ready! Surprise!! Free wine!

[KD in CA]

I did some wine futures buying. What typically happened was youd go to a barrel tasting and theyd give you samples directly from the barrel. Wine that was on the vine just a few weeks earlier which was very cool in itself. You buy a case or whatever right there. Theyd email you when they were bottled 6-12 months later and youd go pick it up. It was like Christmas. You had paid for them so long ago it was like getting free wine! There was a couple times Id show up to pick up my club wine and theyd say oh your futures are ready! Surprise!! Free wine!

 

My uncle did that a lot. He's held on to a lot of older wine and made some nice money selling it off in recent years.

[Chef Jim]

 

My uncle did that a lot. He's held on to a lot of older wine and made some nice money selling it off in recent years.

Oh I dont sell it. I drink it. Well at least I used to. Wife takes care of that now. LOL

[Bad Things]

I just visited this area back in August and had a great time there.

 

My thoughts and prays to all those affected.

[sherpa]

Well its not always a bad fire season. Its like saying every winter in WNY is bad. Its not. Sure there is snow every year but not piles of it.

Those things blow up. They are often driven by high winds this time of year. The fires create their own winds which whip up the fires even more. Up north you have more eucalyptus trees. Those are torches with roots.

 

To be clear, I never said it was "always a bad fire season." I said they always claimed it was going to be a bad fire season. If it was a dry year it would be bad because of an elongated season. If it was wet, too much fuel.

 

Regarding your other post about buying wine that is recently harvested, did they give you the "chemistry" on it?

We sell about 3000 pounds a year to a winery, but keep about 10 gallons for our own production. I have found, over the years, that the chemistry at harvest has been a far more accurate indicator of eventual flavor than when it's new in the barrel.

I often taste our wine that the winery is producing, and don't get a feel for the final product until its been in oak at least a year.

Edited October 11, 2017 by sherpa