After Quake, Napa Winemakers React to Shaking, Then Assess Damage

Sunday's early-morning earthquake came at a busy time for Napa's winemakers -- harvest season.

The Napa Valley Vintners Association says members, especially those near the epicenter just south of the city of Napa, are still assessing damage.

Napa wineries, like Domaine Chandon, are in the first stages of the winemaking process, a time when freshly picked grapes begin fermenting. When the 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck, many wineries lost power, sending winemakers scrambling.

Barry Bergman, winemaking and operations director at Domaine Chandon, explained Sunday afternoon that the winery is roughly 75 to 80 percent through the harvest season and currently has large tanks of fermenting wine that need electricity to stay cool.

"The biggest challenge for us is electricity," Bergman said. "The problem is that we don’t get the cooling in. For a few hours it doesn’t do any harm, especially with white wines. But within a few hours you really need cooling back in place."

While Bergman and his staff were in the process of turning on backup generators, Domaine Chandon's power came back, allowing the cooling process to continue. But it would still be as many as 10 hours before anyone would be allowed to enter the property because of high levels of carbon dioxide, a byproduct of the fermentation process.

Bergman said Sunday his staff had been working since around 3:30 a.m., shortly after the quake. But without being able to enter the property, the extent of the damage at Domaine Chandon wasn't known.

"We're not expecting any damage to the wine, but the main concern is once we get inside," said Bergman, who hoped that the winery's location on a hillside "next to a large rock" had prevented extensive damage.