Schweiger Vineyards News

“…When your heart’s on fire, You must realize, Smoke gets in your eyes…” –The Platters

“…at the best place around. But some stupid with a flare gun burned the place to the ground. Smoke on the water, fire in the sky” –Deep Purple

For several days now, we’ve been living in a haze, and that’s not because we just finished bottling.  Four days ago, a large wildland fire started in the late afternoon.  With difficult terrain and high temperatures, it’s been a difficult job for the firefighters.  There are literally thousands of acres burning with no resources available.  Finally, there has been almost no wind to speak of…so all the smoke does is sit.  As of right now, the cause of the fire is undetermined.

What’s all this choking smoke mean to us viticulturally?  Not a whole heck of a lot.  There hasn’t been any significant ash fall around here, and even if it did, it would blow off.  In fact, some ash residue might prove to be a natural mildew inhibitor, due to its alkaline nature, and may allow us to skip a spraying or two.  UV radiation is being filtered somewhat, so it may slow ripening down a tad…but not by much.  If anything it’s just an inconvenience…and a smelly one at that.

Fortunately, our property is in no immediate threat from these fires. They are on the other side of the valley at the far southern corner.  However, we are staying on high alert…with firefighting resources stretched so thin, we need to be ready to defend ourselves. –Andrew Schweiger