On a hillside overlooking the Napa Valley, birds chirp as they soar over uniform rows of lush green young vines. A blue lake sparkles in the sunshine below.
Many would call the view breathtaking, but Alan Viader, a second generation winemaker at Viader Vineyard and Winery says what he sees now, is an overgrown forest.
“Potential fuel,” he calls it.
Northern California’s Napa Valley had a historic wildfire season in 2020. The first blaze erupted in August, consuming hundreds of thousands of acres and killing five people.
Then in late September another – dubbed the “Glass Fire” – quickly became the most destructive wildfire in the famous wine region’s history.
It engulfed Alan’s winery, destroying some of the prized old vines, and incinerating two of the buildings on the property. After 24 hours of waiting, and praying, firefighters deemed the area safe, and Alan was finally able to return to his vineyard, where trees were still burning.
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