Fire! Fire!

The hillside above Bien Nacido Vineyards in San Luis Obispo County were scorched, but the grapevines were saved. (LA Times: George Rose)

It is fire season in California, and our nearest wine country, Santa Barbara County, has been hit hard.  Anyone who appreciates the wine of this region will recognize the Bien Nacido vineyard as a source of quality fruit for a number of wineries. This article in Wednesday's Los Angeles Times recounts the harrowing tale of how close we came to losing this treasured vineyard.  As of this writing there have been no injuries or loss of life reported.

Will we taste the effects of smoke?  The end of the Times article touches on that question.  It reminded me of last January's stories from Chile - where they suffered huge vineyard losses - and loss of life - due to wildfires.  

Vintage and terroir are both terms wine lovers use to refer to the conditions that affected the contents of a given bottle of wine.  The fires in Chile and in Santa Barbara County will forever be part of the story of this vintage for growers in those two regions.  Whether or not that element of this vintage will make it into the glass only time will tell.