Some ways you can help the California fire victims

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California’s Wine Country is in a state of emergency as more than a dozen wildfires burn through large swaths of land in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, and Yuba counties. The fires have destroyed at least 3,500 homes, caused at least 30 fatalities, and forced an estimated 25,000+ residents to evacuate, with that number expected to rise. 8000 firefighters are involved in the fight, some from as far away as Australia.

Our first harvest

A few more red grapes.

This is for the white crop.

Well, we aren't going to be making wine just yet, nor is there enough for a jar of jam. But tasting these delicious tiny morsels that explode with flavour has been fun. We decided to pick today because we are expecting Hurricane Ophelia to hit on Monday. It might even cause a stock market crash according to an article in Forbes. Another article in Forbes today describes how rare it is for hurricanes to come up our way. We figured it was time to get ready, especially since another system would be affecting us in the days leading up to Ophelia.

Wine country fires

After

Before

My heart goes out to all the Californians whose lives are completely disrupted by the horrendous fires raging through Napa and Sonoma. Dry conditions and strong winds caused such rapid escalation and devastation. More than 50,000 acres engulfed in Napa. Many injuries, at least ten known dead and the toll is likely to rise.

They said the grape harvest has already been completed for most, but the impact on the wineries and vineyards is inestimable at this time. Growing grapes and making wine is a labor of love. Many livelihoods and lives will have been destroyed by this tragic development.

From grapes to raisins

Picking some red grapes

The red grapes we had this year were small but very tasty. There were no white grapes on the three year old vines at all. The new vines are all alive and doing reasonably well. The vineyard itself is terribly overgrown, but I plan to go up and dig out the biggest of the weeds and clear around the plants. Then I plan to select out the best main shoots, which have already become woody. I have to wait to prune until the plants go dormant. Next year will be the real test I believe. Meanwhile, the tiny grapes are shriveling into raisins.

Wine statistics

From Wine Time on Facebook. 

We have grapes!

We returned after two months away sailing in Spain to find the vineyard overgrown with grass and vines trailing every which way. But all the new vines have survived and we have grapes! Our three-year old Rondo vines are producing sweet, albeit small, red grape clusters. We have not found any white grapes yet.

Our trip to Galicia Spain, home of albarino wines

Alex and I spent two months cruising on our boat in the northwest region of Spain this summer. It was a remarkable trip for so many reasons. First, the Rias Baixas in the region south of Finisterre are a superb cruising area, with multiple Rias or inlets that have an interesting coastline, lovely old villages and towns, beautiful barrier islands, the best seafood in the world, temperate weather, and fine wines. Oh, and it's not very expensive.