Wine Industry Coming Together in Napa Valley

Winemakers are always ready to help fellow winemakers in times of crisis and the “Wine Country Earthquake” as it has been dubbed, is no exception.  The well-organized and efficient staff of the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) is gathering information and coordinating assistance for its 500 members.  Information is still coming in regarding wine losses and damage to equipment, but with harvest just starting, NVV will have resources available to secure temporary tanks and other production equipment to help them get through the next few weeks.

Collaboration is the name of the game in the Napa Valley.  We remember a huge flood on New Year’s Eve several winters ago that isolated the restaurant heavy town of Yountville.  Staff couldn’t get to their jobs in kitchens and dining rooms.  Guests couldn’t get into town either.  But restaurants with extra staff sent them to their competitors to help out.  The famous French Laundry comes to mind as stepping up to the plate (no pun intended) to help their fellow restaurateurs.

This is the spirit of the Napa Valley.  While it has a reputation as a playground of the rich and famous and crazy expensive wines, there are many small, family owned wineries that every year have to deal with the vagaries of weather, pests, market fluctuations, and government regulation.  Some of them have faced extensive loss of inventory, which could be devastating.

Fortunately, the vines and fruit were not damaged by the quake so harvest will continue for the 46,000 employees of the wine industry in the Valley.  About 10,000 are involved in the physical harvest, cellaring and eventually, bottling.  Many are seasonal workers dependent on the grape harvest as their main source of income for the year.  The wineries take care of their part time workers, offering benefits and in many cases, housing.

The wine industry contributes $13 billion to Napa County’s economy.  Damages may exceed $1 billion.  Many wineries and other businesses do not have earthquake insurance.  It can be hard to get, extremely expensive, and deductibles are very high.