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16 WINES&VINES December 2017 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS N orth Coast, Calif.—Media reporting and images may have left many with the impression that Sonoma and Napa wine country was laid to waste by October firestorms, but only weeks later, a different picture emerged. Tourists returned to hotels and tasting rooms, welcomed by staff eager to see business return to normal. "We were profoundly affected in terms of traffic," Christopher O'Gorman, director of communications for Rodney Strong Wine Es- tates, told Wines & Vines. The winery's vine- yards were unscathed, and 95% of the fruit was already harvested, but the winemaker's house was destroyed in the blaze. O'Gorman provided some tasting room sta- tistics for the popular 900,000-case destination next to Highway 101 in Windsor, Calif. The weekend prior to the fires, some 600 people visited. The winery closed Oct. 10-11; when it reopened Oct. 12 (a Thursday), 62 people came in. The first full weekend the fires were contained, Rodney Strong re- corded 260 visitors. Kosta-Browne Wines in Sebastopol, Calif., is open by appointment. The 18,000-case win- ery and vineyards remain intact. Still, deep loss remains: Co-founder Dan Kosta's home in Santa Rosa was destroyed, and he's now living in a fifth-wheel trailer near the winery. Normally welcoming only one or two groups on weekend days, the fires didn't change sales much, Kosta said, although some people did cancel their scheduled trips: Traffic was impas- sible while residents evacuated and emergency responders arrived. Up to $38 million in tasting room losses Jon Moramarco, managing partner of bw166, estimates the fires caused tasting rooms to lose between $19 million and $38 million in sales. He said an additional $50 million to $100 mil- lion revenue will be lost by wineries that need to be rebuilt as a result of the firestorm. When 100,000-case Dry Creek Vineyard in Healdsburg reopened Oct. 13, there was almost no traffic, said Sara Rathman, director of mar- keting and communications. Dry Creek hosts numerous large groups and destination wed- dings, scheduled long in advance. "We did what we could for them. We tried to help them reorganize their trips. We're trying to make the best of it," Rathman said. Around Oct. 21, business started picking up, and by the weekend of Oct. 24, winery loyalists from the Bay Area flooded in, trying to support busi- ness. By the numbers, normally booming Oc- tober tasting room traffic was down 35%, and revenue was down about 18%, she reported. "It's not how it was, but we're seeing improve- ment. We are welcoming them and trying to show them a good time." Dry Creek has a strong social media pres- ence, and its promotion benefits other area wineries. "We were really lucky to have whole- sale distribution," Rathman commented. Look- ing on the bright side, "The tasting room is less crowded. We're really positive. People coming are happy to be here." Cline Cellars is a 250,000-case winery in Sonoma Carneros, a quick hop from San Fran- TOP STORY Wine Country Tourism Picks Up After Fires