90% of US wine exports are from this area of the United States
By Denise Faguy, Farms.com While many bottles, barrels and wine libraries may have been lost as a result of the magnitude 6.0 earthquake that hit the Napa valley area on Sunday, August 24th, another question is how will it impact the wine harvest? The California agriculture industry has already been impacted by severe drought - will the Napa valley earthquake deal another blow to the industry?
The Earthquake occurred during a pivotal harvest time for winemakers. It is still too early for winemakers to assess and report on whether irrigation systems, machinery and other vital components to harvesting grapes have been impacted. Will the power outages that affected the area after the quake, lead to wine production losses?
Many wineries have reported damage to wine vats that were full of pressed wine, as well as other production and storage facilities. The Napa Valley Vintners Association has indicated that it is still too early to determine what, if any, impact there will be on the this year’s wine harvest. The 500-member Napa valley Vintners Association has released a statement saying that most vintners are still assessing the damage to their facilities, and that it expects to have more comprehensive information within the next few days.
Napa Valley Wine Facts
90% of US wine exports are from this area of the United States. The Napa Valley wine industry contributes $13.3 billion to the area economy, $25 billion to the California economy, and over $50 billion to the nation’s economy annually.