Over 15 wineries suffered damage or were destroyed in what's considered to be the most destructive fire to ever hit Napa Valley.
Three-quarters of Napa wineries are considered "small" producers, meaning recovery could be long or not at all. A small producer is 5,000 cases or less, sometimes a family or a boutique business.
"You may not have the deep pockets that the larger corporations have," said Lauren Ackerman, who owns Ackerman Family Vineyards in Napa. "You may have lost all your inventory. Hopefully not, but if you did, that’s your future. Even if a building is burned down. How do you come back from that?"
She knows the challenges facing small producers and for the first time in 26 years, she's had to give up a harvest. This year's grapes were too smoke-tainted to use.
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For those small outfits impacted by the Glass Fire, Ackerman said your brand name may not survive the time it takes to rebuild.
"To be off market, more or less, as a small vineyard for three to four years, that’s a big hit," Ackerman told KCBS Radio. "That’s where you have to really look at 'Can we maintain it?' That comes down to what you have left in your inventory if you do and what kind of option can you provide people for a tasting experience. Especially as we go into winter time through next year, as long as we still have COVID in the midst, that becomes even harder."
The Glass Fire is now 50% contained.