A controlled burn intended to contain the Pickett fire consumed the Candlestick Vineyard on Howell Mountain, sacrificing the crop to protect the broader community. Vineyards can act as fire breaks, but heat and smoke still ruined the entire crop that would have produced $4.5 million in revenue. About 10% of vines need replanting, which will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and require roughly a decade to restore full bottle production. The vineyard had already incurred nearly $1 million in farming costs this season and will test nearby grapes to check for smoke damage.
Knowing that the Glass fire a 2020 blaze that damaged numerous wineries and spoiled a year's harvest had burned along the same path, Slone hoped no fuel remained for this new fire. But that was not the case, he said. Within the week, the winery's Candlestick Vineyard would become a sacrificial lamb for the town of Angwin when firefighters lit a controlled burn on their property to control the larger fire.
The Robert Craig Winery lost the entire crop of their Candlestick Vineyard, which would have generated $4.5m in revenue. And Slone estimates about 10% of the vines will need to be replanted a process that will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take a decade to see new bottles of wine ready for market. The team will test grapes on another one of their vineyards closer to harvest to see whether the smoke affected them.
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