Since August, wildfires have raged across California. At the time of writing, 28 blazes had killed 26, destroyed thousands of structures and burned 3.6 million acres.
The wildfires have come within a couple of miles of Ernie Weir’s Napa Valley-based winery, the Hagafen Cellars, at a time when he and his team are frantically trying to finish this year’s harvest in case the fires reach them. It’s not the first time.
“We’ve been tested in the last few years” he admits. Quite an understatement, as fire is not the only disaster to affect him and the California winemaking fraternity over the last six years.
“In August 2014, just before the harvest, there was a very large earthquake” says the winemaker who opened his kosher winery with wife, Irit, more than forty years ago. “And then in 2017, we had these huge fires all around the area. Our vineyards suffered massive fire damage — we lost about 2,400 vines. Our guest houses and the landscaping were destroyed. The winery building itself is made from steel and was ok, and our tasting room which is built from stone, survived too.”
Weir was a pioneer in kosher wine, recognised as one of the major players its renaissance. It was his vineyard that brought quality Californian wine to the kosher category at a time when it was dominated by the bland, sweet table wines that gave kosher such a bad reputation. Over the years his wines have won numerous awards and been served by several Presidents to guests at White House banquets.
He’s used to the rise and fall in demand for his products, but with the world lockdown, came an unprecedented plummet in wine sales coupled with the overnight closure to the doors of his tasting rooms. Instead of sitting, bemoaning his fate, Weir chose to turn this bad into good — repurposing some of his land to help others.
He explains that although he was able to replant 1,500 vines that were lost in one vineyard, it wasn’t possible to replant the entire estate at once. “On the other vineyard, vines that were scorched are due to be replanted by 2022. Our capacity has been reduced by 50% by the fire, maybe 60%.” The area that needs replanting left him with an empty field.
“One of my assistants suggested we grow vegetables on it. I was negative initially, but then the lightbulb came on. I realised that so many in the [Jewish] community and other communities had no food and that we could donate what we grew to a food bank.”
“In the spirit of Tikkun Olam, I said that’s a natural! This comes quite easily to me as Jew — we know how to take care of each other and of others. Those of us who can, give generously.”
He says he was motivated not just to feed people but to inspire others to “get off their butts and do something!”
He wasn’t new to farming vegetables. “Every year we grow vegetables in smaller gardens — one at our home and another at the winery. We grow them for us, our employees and for friends; but this extra field was intentionally for others.”
On the new vegetable field, which they have named the Covid-19 Victory Garden, the winemaker and his team have been growing corn, tomatoes, cucumber, squash, zucchini (courgettes), peppers — sweet and hot; and watermelons.
Twice a week, the vegetables have been delivered to the Napa Valley Food Bank, which distributes free food to seven sites throughout the area. “We started sending between 20 and 40 kilos, which rose to 100 kilos in about a couple of weeks. I’d like to reach a tonne.”
“We’ve delivered hundreds and hundreds of pounds of produce to the Food Bank” adds Hagafen’s Market Manager, Michael Gelven.
As the crops increased and they has been able to start tastings again outdoors — in spaces separated by screens — Hagafen has also been offering their vegetables from a farm stand at the winery.
“The proceeds will go towards supplying fresh vegetables to those in need” says Weir, who is philosophical when asked if his industry will survive this toughest challenge of all. “The wine world goes from over supply to undersupply from year to year. We had an beautiful harvest in 2018, which was wonderful, but now we have too much. We need everyone to drink more wine!”
At the start of August, he’d been holding out for a bump in sales for the Chagim. A few weeks later and he and his staff are desperately hoping the fires will not reach the winery again.
Gelven says there is huge anxiety over the proximity of the blaze. “The smoke has been so thick some days we couldn’t see the sun. Everybody’s nervous — it’s a surreal experience. We are about half to two thirds through the harvest.”
Weir remains positive: “I’m an optimistic person by nature, so even though we’re in the midst of a bad situation, it will get better. This too shall pass.”
