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w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m N o v - D e c 2 015 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 1 3 West Coast wildfires burned across seven states and British Columbia this summer, threat- ening vineyards and wineries, disrupting winery operations and destroying some facilities. As of Sept. 21, according to National Inter- agency Fire Center data, 21 active and uncon- tained wildfires burned roughly 1.4 million acres in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California and Montana. At least two wineries have been destroyed to date. On Sept. 13, Shed Horn Cellars in Califor- nia's Lake County fell victim to the Valley Fire, which spread across Lake County, along with portions of Napa and Sonoma counties, to con- sume 70,000 acres. Ventimiglia Cellars, a bou- tique winery in Chelan, Wash., was reduced to ash on Aug. 14 from the fast-moving Chelan Complex fire. Shed Horn Cellars' owners lost the winery as well as their home, but the tasting room in Middletown remains unaffected, and they have sufficient inventory both to fill orders and stock their tasting room, according to Terry Dereniuk, executive director of the Lake County Winery Association. The Valley Fire also damaged Langtry Estate & Vineyard and caused some Lake County grow- ers to suspend harvest operations. Damage at Langtry, which included a home on the property and a portion of its vineyard, was "not as bad as they had thought" and the business is "back up Fires Damage West Coast Winery Operations and running" Dereniuk said. The his- toric Lillie Langtry house and all the winery employees are safe, she said. Although the fire reached parts of Napa County, Napa Valley winer- ies and vineyards were unharmed, according to Patsy McGaughy, com- munications director for the Napa Val- ley Vintners. A reliable estimate of damage from the Butte Fire, which affected Ama- dor and Calaveras counties, was not available at press time. According to Melissa Lavin, executive director of the Amador Vintners Association, no wineries or grapes were lost in Amador County. NEWS FLASH PD Bacteria Discovered in France In late July, the Xylella fastidiosa bacteria known to cause Pierce's disease (PD) was discovered on France's island of Corsica. This is lit- tle more than 18 months after its first recorded appearance in Europe, in olive groves in Italy. The European and Mediterranean Plant Pro- tection Organization (EPPO) responded by immediately implementing eradication measures. Texas Wine Honors Dr. Ed Hellman Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Viticulturist Dr. Ed Hellman has earned accolades twice in recent months for his educational efforts supporting the Texas wine industry. Earlier this year, Hellman received the T.V. Munson Award from the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association. In August, he was honored with the Outstand- ing Extension Educator Award from the American Society for Horti- cultural Science. Genomics Research to Benefit Wine Two new research projects at Australia's University of Adelaide will use leading genomic expertise and technologies to benefit the wine industry and biodiversity conservation. The two projects, which have won funding from the Australian Genome Research Facility, aim to provide the first definitive scientific explanation of wine terroir. Researchers will investigate the interplay of genetics, plant physiol- ogy, environment and wine quality. Robert Talbott Sold to Gallo Robert Talbott Inc. has reached an agreement to sell the Talbott Vineyards business and related assets, including its Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in Monterey County's Santa Lucia Highlands, to E. & J. Gallo Winery of Modesto, Calif. International Wine Associates is represent- ing Talbott in the transaction, the terms of which are not disclosed. For more industry news briefs, visit the News Flash page on V&WM's website: http://www.vwmmedia.com/magazine/web-exclusive1.asp. " 1- BY LINDA DAILEY PAULSON Ventimiglia Cellars in Chelan, Wash., was reduced to ash by the Chelan Complex fire.