Fires are still burning in northern California as you read this, and people's homes are still endangered.

That said, it's time to look at what the deadly wildfires will mean for the region's wine industry, the most important in North America. The surprising answer, given the heartbreaking scenes of destruction we have seen, is that the overall impact will not be particularly large.

Napa and Sonoma Counties between them have about 900 physical wineries (not counting wineries that are brands without buildings). So far, fewer than 10 have been reported as destroyed, with some level of damage to another 15 or so – more reports of partial damage will come in next week.

As for the 2017 vintage, both Napa Valley and Sonoma County Vintners reported that more than 90 percent of the crop had already been harvested when the fires hit.