Winemakers in Napa take care of each other. The collaborative spirit of the valley extends back to the beginning of its reign as America's leading wine country in the mid-20th century, and was seen in force this past week as less affected wineries banded together with badly damaged ones to clean up and lend equipment, tanks, and storage space for the upcoming harvest.
They're also helping out financially. In addition to the
$10 million fund established by nonprofit trade group the Napa Valley Vintners Association,
Matthiasson has released a "Quake Cuvée," a red blend to be developed by their winemaker and sold on pre-order until Sept. 15. All after-tax profits will go to Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief fund.
You can help by taking a nice, long trip up to Wine Country this weekend. About 97 percent of Napa Valley businesses are back open, estimates Napa Valley Tourism, and the NVVA says that more than 95 percent of its wineries have open tasting rooms, even the ones who suffered big losses like
Saintsbury,
Silver Oak, and
B.R. Cohn.
I was up there on Wednesday reporting for a story (out next week) and despite some traffic snarl-ups and closed-off streets in downtown Napa, restaurants and bars were open, and the rest of the region was just as beautiful and relaxing as it always is. If you're looking for a day trip this Labor Day weekend, go spend some money up there and show your support.
[via Twitter]
