Napa Wine Industry Shaken, Recovering from 2014 Quake
3:20 AM.
More than a year later, after the national news media moved on and other disasters now command center stage, that time of the morning on Aug. 24, 2014 still lingers in the minds of many in the Napa Valley. That was when a 6.0 earthquake shook the southern portions of the valley to its core, the most significant seismic event in Northern California since the memorable 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that destroyed city blocks in San Francisco and stopped baseball’s World Series.
For the wine industry, the damage and losses could have been much worse. A year later, hard hit wineries such as Saintsbury, Trefethen Family Vineyards and the Hess Collection winery are rebuilding, moving on from vintages that no longer exist or are substantially shrunk, and generally occupied with the intricacies of the 2015 harvest. But memories of the middle-of-the-night quake remain close to the surface.
“I’m the person who wants to be by the window in the exit row if there’s a problem. I always felt like I was the person who you want in a disaster. And I cried like a baby,” said Mimi Gatens, Napa resident and marketing manager at Trefethen, recalling her reaction to the tremors at that specific moment in the middle of the night.
According to damage assessments, the Carneros, Mount Veeder, Oak Knoll and Yountville areas of Napa Valley were hit hardest. Countywide damage is estimated at approximately $400 million, with the wine industry suffering around $80 million in damage, according to data from Napa County. A big loss? Yes. But most wine industry professionals agree that the timing of the quake was lucky, sparing both winery workers and tasters from imminent danger.
Nevertheless, heartbreaking wine stories came out of the wreckage of the quake – the remainder of older vintages at Saintsbury largely wiped out, thousands of cases of Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon lost, barrels of aging wine at various wineries and storage facilities impacted. As a result, the industry in the area is altering many of its approaches to safety and wine storage.
“There are changes being made for sure such as earthquake alarms and cages in the cellar for protection from falling barrels,” said Rob McMillan, executive vice president and founder of the Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division, in email comments. “Winery owners are also considering different stacking options.”
When I stopped by Saintsbury, co-founder David Graves was on a conference call concerning a new tank to replace one damaged in the earthquake – a timely reminder of the rebuilding required - but otherwise the property was humming with life. At Trefethen and Hess, they’ve made do with temporary tasting facilities.
“We survived remarkably well, but there are still areas for improvement,” according to Graves, who lost $50,000 worth of library wines. “We were all very lucky the earthquake occurred at 3:20 AM on a Sunday morning.”
Walking the property at Trefethen, located just off the famed Route 29, both the damage and renewal are readily apparent. Repairs on the historic McIntyre Building, once used for hospitality and storage but seriously damaged in the quake, remains a work in progress. Wooden planks previously part of the building now lay beside the 1886 structure with numbered tape on them so workers can refurbish them and put them right back where they were.
The foundation of the McIntyre is fine, but the building shifted four feet to the west as a result of the earthquake, at one point leaning precariously. Now various support beams help the structure retain its original shape. The multi-million dollar renovations and seismic upgrades on the McIntyre will continue for another 12-18 months, according to Trefethen officials. Once complete, barrel storage and hospitality services will resume at what is one of Napa’s most popular tasting stops.
Perhaps the best lesson learned from the earthquake is the power of community to heal, to help to move an entire industry past a harrowing natural disaster. For example, mere days after the quake, a taco truck showed up at the Trefethen property from Round Pond Estate, another winery in the area. On a day soon after, a catered meal appeared from a local bank – both significant gestures of support as Trefethen employees cleaned up the mess from the 2014 Napa Earthquake. “I think we were all blessed to have each other,” said Gatens.