Fire at Sonoma County winery causes $500k damage

A fire at Notre Vue Estate Winery in Sonoma County this week has caused around US$500,000 of damage to a warehouse, though it is not yet known if the wine barrels and bottles stored nearby have also been affected.

Image: Sonoma County Fire District

Firefighters were called to the winery on Tuesday (28 May) evening at 8:40pm local time. On arrival, flames were reported both outside and inside part of an 11,000 square-foot warehouse.

The building is warehouse is is also home to a tasting room, offices and a wine barrel storage facility.

Officials initially thought damage could amount to as much as $2 million, however, the managers of the winery are hopeful that the quantity of wine that was harmed is minimal.

Cyndi Foreman, spokesperson for the Sonoma County Fire District, told local media that fire investigators found staining rags and rollers outside where the fire started, although this has not been confirmed as the cause of the blaze.

“They had been doing some staining work on the property earlier that afternoon,” she said. “Fire damage to the building is estimated at $500,000 and up to $2 million of smoke damage to the wine barrels and bottles.”

Kirk Tomiser, national sales and marketing manger for the winery, told local media that the total value of the winery’s inventory is $2 million but the value of the wine lost in the incident is believed to be much lower.

“That’s assuming we lose anything, because there’s a chance we won’t lose anything, but we don’t know that just yet,” Tomiser said.

A message posted on the winery’s website states: “Notre Vue Winery is very grateful to all firefighters who responded to the fire at its warehouse on Tuesday evening.

“The winery is working with investigators to determine the cause of the fire and any potential loss of wine. The winery expects to have a temporary tasting room in place by the weekend, a temporary office is in place now, allowing business to continue as usual. All of the events shown on the winery website will proceed.

“Notre Vue deeply appreciates the support of its neighbours and local community.”

The winery was founded in 1992 by Bob and Renée Stein. The 710-acre estate includes 250-acres of vineyards covering both the Chalk Hill and Russian River Valley AVAs. The land, which has elevations of up to 800 metres, is planted with grape varieties including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Malbec.