Although earthquakes can never really come at a good time, yesterday's earthquake couldn't have come at a worse time. The 6.0 magnitude quake struck just 6 miles southeast of the heart of Napa and many wine makers woke up to major loss. The B.R. Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen, California said they may have lost nearly 50% of their wine. Dahl Vineyards in Yountville, California lost an entire barrel containing $16,000 worth of pinot noir. In Oakville, California, the Silver Oak Winery lost a couple hundred bottles of wine as well as several barrels. But those are just the barrels that fell and broke open. Many wineries have yet to assess how much wine still in the barrels was damaged as part of the wine aging process requires that the wine in the barrels be kept very still. With the harvest just beginning and the severe drought in California, it may be an even tougher year for Napa wine than anyone ever expected.
For more on the aftermath of the earthquake in Napa click here or here.
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