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Wine Under Fire

Written By: Romany Reagan on Friday, May 2, 2008

Six months later, Southern California reflects on the the trials and, oddly, benefits of a fall under fire.

Wine and the City has gone back to the beach. I am currently in (not so sunny) San Diego for my grandfather Randy's 93rd birthday. Yes, he is celebrating his NINETY THIRD birthday this week, it must have been the red wine in his youth -- of course being an inventor who never stopped and is actually currently awaiting three patent approvals doesn't hurt either.

As I sit in my friend's beach house admiring the rain-dark waves, I remember a very different San Diego I left in October. My flight was delayed due to next to nil visibility from the San Diego fires that ripped through the region the very night before I flew out. Over six months later, I now wonder how all the fire and subsequent ash has affected the vineyards here and in Temecula.

I spoke with Ray Falkner, President of the Temecula Valley Wine Growers Association and co-owner with his wife Loretta of Falkner Winery (www.falknerwinery.com) as well as Leon Santoro, an immigrant from Santa Maria Italy, just east of Rome, and Winemaker at Orfila Vineyards (www.orfila.com) -- one of San Diego's largest and most popular vineyards, right by the Wild Animal Park, and right in the "line of fire."

At 3:30am October 22nd 2007, Leon Santoro found himself out in his vineyard watching a wall of fire coming towards him from Ramona, rushing down the San Pasqual Valley. Running out to his vines, Mr. Santoro had to battle a more insistent fire than vineyards usually suffer. Orfila uses sustainable practices and no herbicides, therefore there were many smaller plants growing around the base of his vines creating a welcome mat for the deadly fire rushing his way. The fire department was busy all over the county and there just wasn't enough manpower to go around. He gathered as many workers and friends as he could and began frantically putting out the hotspots that were consuming his life's work. As if by a miracle, the fire suddenly split around the vineyard and kept rushing southwest -- away from Orfila.

The vines on the outer edges were incinerated as their foliage burned, but the fires died out as they moved through the vineyard. When planted close together, they actually protect each other. Vineyards don't burn very well - - it took a deathly wildfire to create this level of damage. What kept the fire still active and a threat were the hotspots of undergrowth that raged until 6am. After a night of fear and hard work, the grey morning brought a survey of the damage. 3/5th of the vineyard was burned. Their wooden signs had blazed and fallen down, their lovely white fence, a blackened scar. On the most eastern part of the estate, the hardest hit, 200 merlot vines were charred sticks. Trudging through the smoke and wet loss, there was nothing to do but try to get some sleep and see what comes.

Orfila's vines are on average at least 15 years old, they have a good root system, and underneath their charred outsides they were strong--and most importantly not dead. They had just completed their harvest for the year, the only good thing about the fire for vineyards was its timing. For months afterwards ash rained from the sky blanketing the ground in grey dust. Asking if this was a big clean up job for Leon and his crew, he said it was just the opposite -- they simply churned it back into the soil. As it turns out, ash is a good source of nutrients. Wood ash is a good source of potassium and it can be used as a fertilizer and liming material on vegetable gardens, flower beds, lawns, and really most plants. After the blanket of ash came the rains, and anyone who had the pleasure of seeing San Diego in February and March can attest to the lush bouquets of foliage that completely altered the landscape. Come spring, Orfila was alive with a vibrant green cover crop - - and a 95% comeback of their 70-acre estate.

Ray Falkner tells Temecula's experience of the San Diego fires. Temecula's wine region is very important to Southern California, more centralized than the vineyards in San Diego and subsequently damage there could prove more disastrous. However, while they experienced some ash fallout from the fires, none of the fire itself touched their vines. As ash had nothing but a good affect on vines in San Diego, Temecula experienced thankfully no affect to the grape growing or winemaking. Tourism, however, fell by 20% and for almost a month there was virtually no activity at all. From either the Interstate 15 being closed or simply a lack of levity in the local mood, people were not visiting wineries. This can be dangerous to smaller wineries who are just starting out or don't have the reserves or fiscal power to withstand the hit. Luckily for Temecula however, this lasted just shy of a month and in the nick of time tourism came back in force.

I asked Mr. Falkner what vineyards and wineries throughout Southern California have done to prepare themselves in case of another catastrophe. He said there are cleared buffer zones, but there's really not much they can do. In the end it comes down to the camaraderie of the wine community and the help they can offer each other should another tragedy threaten their vines and livelihood. As spring brings beauty to the vineyards, and summer brings their fruit, there is an extra spirit of joy in the air. This year's harvest will truly be a celebration of rebirth. I know especially for Leon Santoro, who's exhausted eyes had to witness what he thought was the smoky death of his vines, that first sip of his 2008 Syrah will be heaven.

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