Luckily for California growers most grapes had already been picked before wildfires began on Sunday evening.
Estimates show that nearly 90 percent of the grapes were picked although this number may vary depending on the location. That means that only a small percentage of the 2017 grape harvest may be potentially impacted by the wildfires and smoke.
"Grapevines are very resilient and do not burn easily. In many cases the vineyards are acting like fire breaks and are likely playing a role in the fact that only a limited amount of wineries have been destroyed or significantly damaged in the fires surrounding them. We expect that the grapevines will recover fully if they did not actually burn, although yield may be impacted," the University of California Davis told.
Another concern brought about by the wildfires is smoke taint. Fortunately, since most of the grapes were harvested before the fire, smoke taint for this harvest will be limited. Only the grapes still in the vineyard may potentially be affected. There is no data, but the University does not expect smoke to be a problem.
