From fire trucks and planes to fire academy status, Napa and Sonoma winemakers are equipped like never before.
DEER PARK, CA – May 20: In a vineyard of cabernet sauvignon lost in last year’s Glass Fire, Alan Viader prepares for replanting, Thursday, May 20, 2021, at Viader Vineyards and Winery in Deer Park, Calif. This month, Alan Viader, director of operations and winemaking at Viader Vineyards & Winery in Napa Valley, took a significant step in his career. He didn’t obtain a PhD or earn the coveted title Master of Wine.
The estimated damage to California’s wine business from the 2020 fires alone is expected to reach $3.7 billion, according to market research firm bw166 — and that only accounts for the loss of vines and potential wine sales. A primary focus of the CWPP efforts is fuel reduction, something vintners and growers across these valleys are also prioritizing. Most years, Jim Regusci, who owns Napa’s Regusci Winery, brings in sheep to graze through the 170 vineyard acres on his Stags Leap ranch, removing underbrush and other vegetation that can allow fires to burn hotter and faster. This year, he added goats.
When the Atlas Peak fire hit Napa in 2017, it was an eye-opener, Regusci says. Since then, he has added 210,000 gallons of water storage and purchased two fire department-style bulldozers. He already owned a fire truck, but has another on the way. He’s ready. “I’m not worried about a fire burning our place again,” he says. “I’m worried about our community continuously getting hit by fires. And I feel bad for my kids. This is the norm for them now.”
“Airplanes don’t put out fires but they keep them at bay until people and equipment get there, and from what we’ve seen, that can take time,” says Hackett, president of the GVRA. “I refuse to give up on this.”
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