How California Winemakers Are Preparing For Wildfires
When nearly 1,400 acres of Somerston Estate burned in Northern California’s Hennessy Fire, Craig Becker, the vineyard’s co-founder, general manager, and director of viticulture and winemaking, decided not to harvest any fruit from the 2020 vintage due to smoke damage. As the climate crisis intensifies, experts expect that California wildfires will worsen, becoming a routine part of life in the state. Winemakers like Becker, Jesse Katz of Aperture Cellars, and Zidanelia Arcidiacono of Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards, among others, have already added fire monitors to their winemaking tasks; carefully watching the fires and looking at smoke forecasts, all the while working to ensure the future of California winemaking and bringing incredible vintages to your glass....