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January 2018 WINES&VINES 15 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS S an Rafael, Calif.—Fire- fighters were slowly gaining containment on a massive fire in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as Wines & Vines went to print in mid-December. The blaze, known as the Thomas Fire, had consumed more than 250,000 acres and was only 50% contained at press time. Since the fire began Dec. 4, it had destroyed 728 homes and claimed the life of one firefighter. Intense Santa Ana winds blow- ing from the east fanned the flames and made firefighting dif- ficult. Much of Southern Califor- nia remained under a red flag (fire danger) warning for weeks, and there was little to no rain forecast for the rest of the month. Brigid O'Reilly, director of winemaking at Topa Mountain Winery in Ojai, told Wines & Vines that Anna's Cider in Upper Ojai lost everything to the Thomas fire. The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regulates cider and perry producers as wineries, and according to O'Reilly, who also works as sales and marketing director of Anna's Cider, the cidery was a bonded winery. "We are all safe and evacuated from Upper Ojai until things are in working order, although they will never go back to normal," she wrote. "The hills around us are destroyed and unrecognizable, including our cider facility. "In spite of this devastation, our determination to produce craft cider and our dedication to our local community prevails. We are planning to restart Anna's Cider immediately." Other wineries in the area were thankful to report their fa- cilities and vineyards escaped damage from the fires. "As you have probably heard by now, the Upper Ojai Valley was severely impacted by the Thomas Fire that started just down High- way 150 from our property," read a message posted Dec. 9 on the Boccali Vineyards & Winery Face- book page. "The vineyard suf- f e r e d s o m e m i n o r d a m a g e ; however, we were able to save the main winery buildings and the family home. For this we are extremely grateful." A follow-up message shared a crowdfunding website to support one of the winery's employees, whose home was lost to the flames. On Dec. 7, Adam Tolmach of The Ojai Vineyard shared on Facebook: "I am very happy to report that all the staff is safe, and there is apparently no dam- age to our winery. We have not been let into our property yet, but reports are good." He continued with a word about the tasting room, writing: "Due to the unpre- dictability of the fires and still potentially dangerous situation, the tasting room is closed. We aim to resume normal business hours as soon as possible." Similarly, on Dec. 8 the Topa Mountain Winery shared on its Instagram page that the winery in Upper Ojai remained standing. "Unfortunately, many of our neighbors have not been so lucky..." the message read. "First and foremost, we want to thank the fire department teams that are tirelessly helping to protect our community," read a Dec. 9 message on the Facebook page for Casa Barranca Organic Winery. "Without these angels, we would not be able to...give you a positive update." The message went on to share that a member of the Casa Bar- ranca team had sprayed fire retar- dant on the estate and winery, keeping company with the fire crew throughout the night. "We are happy to report that the estate, winery and tasting room have made it through this horrific event. All of our staff and their families are safe and, as of now, no one has lost their home. Unfortunately, it is not over yet. Due to the unpredictability of the fires, and the dangers involved, our tasting room will be closed until further notice; our goal is to resume normal business hours as soon as possible." 'The new normal?' After California Gov. Jerry Brown declared on news program "60 Minutes" that these historic blazes are "the new normal," Wines & Vines contacted Dr. Gregory Jones for his take on the situation. Jones, director of wine educa- tion and professor of environ- mental studies at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., is perhaps the wine industry's best-known climate expert. The current di- sasters are not as simple as Brown's sound bite implied, Jones said. "There are a lot of different components. We've heard so many people talk about the 'perfect storm'. Some of these elements clearly came to- gether to fuel the fires." The western United States has long been vulnerable to extreme, damaging fires, Jones said. Last year, when the end of California's longtime drought was declared, residents and winegrowers were relieved. But Southern California "never came out of the drought," Jones noted. Most of the state enjoyed a wet winter in 2016, and ironically those same rains fed the flames this fall. The rapid growth of small tinder provided fuel for the spread of wildfires in Northern Califor- nia, according to Jones. California's hot summer was a "heat stress event," he said. "We all live in a fragile environment. I don't care what's to blame: A small spark from a lawnmower can touch off a massive fire." Yes, the western states have al- ways had fires in the summer. They used to be called "forest fires." These days we've seen that these fires are not limited to wooded environments: They destroy entire residential neighborhoods as well as agricultural lands. "I do think there are more peo- ple living in a fragile environment, more people living in nature," Jones said. He noted that in both Northern and Southern California, the fires were driven by high winds. "There is some evidence that Native Americans may have seen fires sweeping from the Sierra Nevada to the coast," he said. So, can we blame climate change? "It is a component," SACRAMENTO FIRE DEPARTMENT TOP STORY Fiery End to 2017 for California "We are living in a warmer, drier climate. The general conditions will be more conducive to fires." —Dr. Gregory Jones, Linfield College Sacramento Engine 316 prepares to depart Ventura Base Camp for a day on the fire line as part of Strike Team 4805c fighting the Thomas Fire in December.