Will it make a "smoky" wine that becomes a "limited edition"?
Sort of like the Napa version of Lagavoulin and similar peaty Islay Whisky???
Will it make a "smoky" wine that becomes a "limited edition"?
I mean.....why not?Sort of like the Napa version of Lagavoulin and similar peaty Islay Whisky???
Not @skibob but I don't think so. Grape vines (assuming they live through the fire) get pruned heavily in winter and smoke from this fall should not affect next year's fruit.does it mean that it may impact next years grapes if the vines are absorbing smoke?
No. If anything there will be a discount for wines affected by smoke as it is undesirable. Many of the grapes not yet picked will probably be abandoned and some of the grapes already being processed may not be usable as fermentation has been uncontrolled, either from lack of temperature control or because winemakers cannot enter building due to CO2 buildup from lack of ventilation (both due to power being off).Will it make a "smoky" wine that becomes a "limited edition"?
That is the Coffey Park area. The scary part is those cars backed up on that road (32 second mark) are heading out of one fire and into another.Truly insane.
Sonoma County Police helicopter over Santa Rosa:
No. There has never been a "smoke hangover" observed. A lot of people hypothesized this in 2008 fires (including me), but it didn't materialize in 2009.@skibob does it mean that it may impact next years grapes if the vines are absorbing smoke?
This is true. But you have to understand that is rare earth. Cold fusion. Even if you can afford it, you probably can't get an allocation of it.http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/fires/article178323036.html
Quote:
---------------
One big problem though: The priciest grapes are the ones, by and large, that are still on the vine. Kaan Kurtural, a UC Davis viticulture scientist who works out of Napa Valley, said the unharvested grapes are mainly cabernet sauvignon and petite sirah.
----------
3-5 years. But again, the actual total affected acreage is likely to be so small (relatively) that consumers will never notice. Unless you have a favorite single vineyard wine (most aren't) and that particular vineyard was destroyed.Another concern is the damage to vineyards. How many years does it take to grow these vines?
@MattD ??
Oops, I was tagging @Matthew Deem but glad to call out another Northern California member to check in.
I'd say its entirely possible. I know of a few there and in Sonoma Valley. But they've not been named publicly yet so I would like to let them control their own info. Paul Frey has openly discussed it, so no reason not to.Thanks Bob.
I actually knew Frey, North of Ukiah, was destroyed but could not verify. Didn't want to pass on bad (Fake) news.
Other wineries in Napa are likely to burn in the Atlas fire coming down mountains on the east side of Napa. Out-of-state
firefighters from NV,AZ,WA,OR, USFS and others are arriving. Will help greatly !
Only if you like to pour your wine into a dirty ashtray and then drink it. Seriously though, like I said, I invented one of the prominent methods for removing this from wine and it is one of many things our company does. There will be very few affected. And you won't find these wines in a bottle until these compounds (volatile phenols primarily) are removed.Will it make a "smoky" wine that becomes a "limited edition"?
I am surprised by Alison's estimate that 1/3 of grapes remain to be harvested. She really knows her stuff and has her finger on the pulse at least as well as just about anybody. I'd hate to contradict her. But she may have meant that her company (which is one of the largest vineyard owners of premium wine grapes) has 1/3 remaining. Not clear which she meant. The estimates I hear from others are 90 to 95% done. Some wineries are 100% done.Wines and Vines is talking about the impact these fires (remember there are several fires) are having on the wine world.
https://www.winesandvines.com/news/article/190537/Wine-Industry-at-Center-of-Raging-Fires
LOL. Lagavoulin I'll drink.Sort of like the Napa version of Lagavoulin and similar peaty Islay Whisky???
Right. I'm much more concerned about unattended fermentations that smoke. But smoke tainted wines won't be dumped. They'll get treated by us or a competitor to remove the smoke from the wine.Not @skibob but I don't think so. Grape vines (assuming they live through the fire) get pruned heavily in winter and smoke from this fall should not affect next year's fruit.
No. If anything there will be a discount for wines affected by smoke as it is undesirable. Many of the grapes not yet picked will probably be abandoned and some of the grapes already being processed may not be usable as fermentation has been uncontrolled, either from lack of temperature control or because winemakers cannot enter building due to CO2 buildup from lack of ventilation (both due to power being off).
I picked again today at Satori near Gilroy, about 30 miles S of San Jose. I was part of group of volunteers that picked over 3 tons of Deaver Zinfandel clone and Cabernet Sauvignon this morning. Some of the Zin should have been picked earlier and was discarded as it was picked too late since winery can only process so much fruit at a time. People who live near the winery reported a light frost which is early for our area. I've had some dew at my house the last two mornings which should help the firefighting efforts although I've seen reports and predictions of low humidity and some winds which are not good.
We treated over a million gallons of smoke tainted wine from 2008 vintage. This won't be nearly that bad. The worst time for smoke is mid june to end of July. The vines are actively translocating nutrients through the phloem (respirating) at that time. Now smoke has to be intense and close (and of course it is in some cases) to cause harm.Maybe thie smoke damaged grapes could be made into cooking wine. It could then be sold and used for a signature dish everyone in California makes one night. Or they sell the bottles to raise money for wineries.
An Italian chef did this in 2012 after wheels of Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese worth were broken and unsellable. People came and bought broken cheese. Later they had a national dish made with parmiggiano.
Just to clarify, Nicholson Ranch has an extensive cave system that won't have been affected. So to say "destroyed" refers to a building, but not really the entire winery.Frey was more than damaged. Paul Frey has confirmed completely destroyed.
Paradise Ridge, Nicholson Ranch and Signorello destroyed. Gundlach Bundschu seems to have saved the winery but lost the family home on the property (1800s). I saw a few others too, but can't recall the names.
However, I saw an idiotic article on Newsweek that concluded that you shouldn't buy 2017 wines because they were going to be terrible. No. They. Aren't.
95% of the grapes are already in. Unless a winery burned down, those wines are unaffected. A few fermentations will finish unattended because of power/access issues. Some vineyards have burned but it is still a ridiculously tiny %.
The average consumer is not going to notice a thing. Period. There will be slightly less wine. You won't notice. What is available will be just as good as usual. In fact, in general 2017 has been looking pretty good.
Oh, and our house still standing. The smoldering fires all around it are starting to cool. If last nights winds didn't kick anything up, I'm becoming increasingly confident that it will survive.
Our company had a close call with the fires (not quite as close as the house) but appears to be coming out of danger. We are planning to open for business next week at this point.
What's weird is the houses on fire but the trees around them are not. Is that common? Do the trees burn later?That is the Coffey Park area. The scary part is those cars backed up on that road (32 second mark) are heading out of one fire and into another.