This story is from an installment of The Oeno Files , our weekly insider newsletter to the world of fine wine. Sign up here. Of all the obstacles the wine industry faces—decreased consumption, competition from other beverages, tariffs, and supply chain issues—wildfires offer the most emergent threat to life and property and is the only one that requires immediate attention.
Less than a month ago, the Point Fire in northern Sonoma County prompted the evacuation of more than 400 people, with 10 times that number on alert to leave at a moment’s notice. At the same time, a good part of the United States was trapped under a “heat dome” that heightened the risk of brush fires. Napa Valley has already had one fire this season; the Crystal Fire burned for three days the first week of June, covering a total of 60 acres between St.
Helena and Calistoga and injuring four firefighters. In recent years infernos have ravaged wine country in Australia, Bordeaux , Napa, and Sonoma, with one of the most memorable being the Atlas Fire of October 2017, which burned more than 50,000 acres over 16 days, destroying almost 800 buildings and causing six deaths. Among the structural casualties was Signorello Estate, whose winery and tasting room were reduced to rubble, causing its owner to re-think the way wineries are built to prevent this from happening again.
Signorello Estate’s brand-new Napa Valley winery is the most fire-, weather-, and future-proof winery the world has ever seen. A.
