Trinchero Family Estates has donated $250,000 to the Napa Valley Community Foundation for its fire relief fund, President and CEO Bob Torkelson said Tuesday.

The Company will match employee contributions to the campaign up to $100,000.

Kelley Payne started this list on FB, Download the list and patronize these businesses - list of Sonoma business owners who have lost their homes but whose businesses remain open

"There are millions of dollars of fruit still hanging on the vine," said Hugh Reimers, chief administrative officer of Santa Rosa-based Foley Family Wines, which had picked almost all of its grapes before the blazes erupted.

52,894 acres - 68% contained ...

Soot and ash are still settling over Sonoma County's housing market, but real estate brokers and lenders contend the fiery destruction of a few thousand properties here will make it harder for both buyers and renters to find new homes

While there's no question that the recent wildfires in northern California's wine regions have filled the air with smoke, that does not mean the 2017 vintage is doomed. Or even particularly damaged. Far from it.

As firefighters worked to gain ground on wildfires ravaging several Northern California counties, farmers and ranchers began, as one put it, "to take inventory and figure out what we can do." In many cases, that meant assessing the impact on North Coast vineyards and trying to harvest the grapes left on the vines when the fires hit.

The informal survey of Farm Bureau members showed that more than half of responding farmers had experienced employee shortages during the past year. The figure was higher among farmers who need to hire employees on a seasonal basis-69 percent of those farmers reported experiencing shortages. The results are similar to those from a survey CFBF conducted in 2012.

According to the declaration sent on behalf of USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to Florida Gov. Rick Scott, there was enough evidence after reviewing damage assessment reports to designate 19 counties as a primary disaster area plus another 25 counties as contiguous disaster areas.

Our US editor reports from wine country, where rumors of its demise have been greatly exaggerated.

A once-humble grape has graduated to winemaking royalty in Piedmont, Tom Hyland reports.

Wine grape harvest is probably 80 to 90 percent done in Washington but vineyards still picking are busy trying to beat forecasts of rain and colder temperatures. Washington's harvest appears relatively normal compared with Idaho seeing freeze...

As fire crews gain on wildfires burning for more than a week in Northern California's wine country, new fires broke out in other parts of the state, including northeast of Los Angeles

Austria has named its tenth DAC wine growing region - Schilcherland DAC in the far south of the country - known for its production of rosé using the red grape Blauer Wildbacher.

As wildfires continue to burn throughout northern California, the forecast of rain later this week has offered hope of relief to those that have seen their wineries and homes destroyed.

On Thursday, Oct. 12, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau accepted as perfected a petition to create a new AVA in Polk County, Oregon: Mount Pisgah. The petition, written and submitted by Brad Ford of Illahe Vineyards, would establish Mount Pisgah as a new sub-AVA of the Willamette Valley.

Map of damage from the Sonoma County fires. Move the slider to compare before and after the fire

"As recovery begins, we at Sovos again extend our deepest sympathies for those who have suffered. But we also want to offer support as best we can. We've compiled a quick guide on how those recovering can seek relief from regulatory agencies."

Orders were lifted for Oakmont south of Highway 12 east of Calistoga Road to Pythian Road. That includes Mountain Hawk, but not Skyhawk or Rincon Valley east of Calistoga Road. Northbound roads off Highway 12 remain closed.

Countdown to rain - one more day

Wayne and Jennifer Harvell allege in the suit filed in San Francisco County Superior Court that PG&E failed to maintain and repair high- voltage power lines, which they say came into contact with drought-dry vegetation, starting the Tubbs fire and several others still burning in Wine Country.

It didn't take long for lawyers to descend on Santa Rosa

One of the problems in dealing with smoke taint is that it can come in various chemical forms, according to Santa Rosa winemaker and wine chemistry instructor Clark Smith. Some forms of smoke taint are radically different from others, he said, so one single treatment may not work for all the smoked wines.

The monstrous flames ripping through Northern California in recent days have burned communities to the ground, killed dozens of people caught in their path and wreaked havoc on a regional economy

the primary conclusion is that no one knows with reasonable certainty whether or not the present wine grape insurance system is effective. Without firm data on the numbers and proportions of growers who fail, at best we can only presume that the system is effective.

In, non-fire related news, Silicon Valley's largest water agency rejected Gov. Jerry Brown's $17 billion plan to build two giant tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

Responding to industry need, WG develops coverage tailored to H-2A Temporary Ag Labor Program

We're all neighbors"