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40 WINES&VINES December 2017 THE BIGGEST AND BEST OF 2O17 EDITORIAL ANDERW ADAMS Protecting quality Preserving flavor Ensuring efficiency In the wine industry parker.com/dhwine Parker has been customizing filtration solutions for over 50 years to ensure process efficiency and preservation of product quality. This reflects Parker's commitment to the success of our customers and to helping solve the world's greatest engineering challenges. JOIN US! Booth 1507 January 23-25, 2018 Sacramento, CA North America: +1 877 784 2234 dhpsales.na@parker.com Europe: +44 (0)191 4105121 dhprocess@parker.com Parker dhP Dec 2017 Qtr Pg BW_UWGS Preview.indd 1 9/28/2017 10:29:19 AM Biggest News of 2017 WINE INDUSTRY AT CENTER OF RAGING FIRES By Kate Lavin The biggest news to impact the wine industry in 2017 was far from the best. A series of wildfires sparked the night of Oct. 8 tore across some of California's most premium wine- growing regions for weeks before fire crews were able to control the firestorm that killed 43 people and scorched nearly 250,000 acres. Area residents and members of the wine industry searched for information about the scope of the fires and the fate of nearby wineries in the frenzied days after flames first erupted. Our Oct. 9 dispatch about the inferno became the most-read news story of 2017. As strong winds directed the fires across the North Coast, smoke from several separate fires filled the skies above wine country during one of the year's most critical times for tourism. (See related story on page 16.) Meanwhile, winemakers and grapegrowers scram- bled to find ways to accommodate incoming fruit amid the chaos of road closures, power outages and evacuation orders that affected not just business activities but workers' homes as well. Vineyards with well-manicured floors served as fire breaks in many cases, as it takes an incredible amount of heat to ignite a healthy grapevine. But in areas where fires were raging, such as the Atlas Peak area of Napa Valley, some growers lost not just unharvested fruit but entire vineyard blocks as well. Some wineries were completely burned to the ground, while doz- ens of others sustained damage to landscaping, outbuildings and residences on their properties. Winegrowing experts believe the extent of vineyard damage may not be known until the 2018 growing season in some cases, but the rebuilding required will take much longer.