Napa Valley Wineries Hit Hard By Earthquake

Geo Beats 2014-08-25

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Wineries throughout California’s Napa Valley are in the process of picking up debris and calculating losses.

Wineries throughout California’s Napa Valley are in the process of picking up debris and calculating losses.

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake that hit the area early Sunday morning shook thousands of barrels and bottles, many of which fell to the ground and broke apart, rendering their contents a total loss.

Damages to the area at large are estimated at over 1 billion dollars, and spilled wine represents a sizeable part of that sum.

Each year Napa Valley’s wineries contribute about 13 billion dollars to the regional economy.

Many of the world’s most sought after wines come from the appellation, and a good number of them carry some pretty hefty price tags.

Among them is Silver Oak, and photos showing heaps of downed and destroyed bottles were posted on Twitter shortly after the quake.

The CEO said that each of them has a value of several hundred dollars.

Dahl Vineyards in Yountville lost a 16 thousand dollar barrel of Pinot Noir.

Restaurants were also affected, with one wine bar reporting the destruction of 50 thousand dollars of inventory.

It isn’t believed that the yearly harvest itself will be affected, but some makers now face equipment damage and a barrel shortage.

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