Wildfire impact on Napa wine country likely to be 'most significant in recent memory'

 By Maria Antonieta Valery Gill, AccuWeather Staff Writer

Published Oct. 2, 2020 3:09 PM

Some wineries in Northern California could be facing a total loss as a result of the wildfires that have ravaged Napa County. Scenes of vineyards scorched by flames and shrouded in smoke emerged this week as the wildfire crisis dragged on. After a tough week, many winemakers in Northern California were trying to figure out their next steps.

"The last five years, we've been impacted by fires," Anita Oberholster, an enologist at the University of California at Davis, told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell. "Specifically 2017, 2018, less in 2019 and now in 2020, we have fires way more extensive. This is our third fire at the moment."

Just because a vineyard doesn't go up in flames doesn't mean it's not at risk of devastation. The smoke the fires are pumping into the air is full of damaging chemical compounds that can be toxic for some grapes and can result in a loss of harvest. Wind direction is also a factor as it can blow wildfire smoke over a vineyard that's not at immediate threat from the flames.

The smoke often lingers after the fires pass through the area. On top of all of that, the fires erupted this year during the grapes' harvest season.

“It started much earlier on during harvest, meaning way more fruit was still on [the] vine," Oberholster said. "So yes, the impact this year will probably be the most significant in recent memory.”

Although some grapes will survive, Oberholster said that harvests will still be lost this year, with some of the most affected vineyards even experiencing a total loss of crops.

The smoke exposure could be detrimental for some grapes, as the chemicals contained in the smoke could be absorbed into the inside of the grape.

“You have a lot of wood burning and there’s compounds being released. We call them volatile pehnols," Oberholster explained. "They’re natural in grapes, so this is not a health concern at all, but what happens is they’re absorbed through the berry skin so it's not on the outside. It's on the inside of the berry, and there’s enzymes that put sugars onto these compounds."

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Photo credit: Bill Wadell

Oberholster added that, although the absorption of the compounds that come from the fires' smoke in smaller amounts might not have a negative effect on the grapes, “When you have an excessive amount of them ... they can give you smoky, ashy characteristics."

This can then lead to the loss of the crop for commercial purposes, as the production of wine will no longer be possible, due to its taste being altered by the overpowering smoky aroma that might come from the damaged grape.

To figure out if grapes have been affected by the smoke or not, many growers across the region are currently having the fruit tested, to ensure that only "the best quality makes it to the market," Oberholster added.

There is hope for the future of the wine industry in Napa Valley, as experts are certain that next year's crops won't be affected by this year's smoke. However, many growers and experts are still concerned about the future of the industry if wildfires continue to burn across wine country.

Despite the devastation caused by the fires, Oberholster is certain that the wine industry will persevere. "We need to do better. Unfortunately, this seems to be our future," she said.

Reporting by Bill Wadell.

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