Publication Date October 11, 2017 | The Weather Channel

Wildfires Destroy at Least 5 Northern California Wineries; Others Report Damage

United States

Wineries in California's famed Napa and Sonoma counties were just finishing up their harvest of premium wine grapes when more than a dozen wildfires were sparked and exploded into massive blazes in a matter of hours.

At least five wineries were destroyed and many others were threatened by more than a dozen fires that have killed at least 17 and destroyed some 2,000 buildings, according to the Associated Press.

The Signorello Estate winery in Napa Valley and the Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa burned to the ground Monday morning during the wind-driven fires, the Wine Spectator reported.

One of Napa’s oldest wineries, White Rock Vineyards, confirmed Monday to the Mercury News that flames consumed its family-owned winery.

In Sonoma, the Nicholson Ranch and in Mendocino County, the Frey Vineyards, a pioneer in organic and biodynamic wines, was destroyed.

Other wineries in the area had close calls.