(Wine Searcher) - The huge fire in northern California has had the wind taken out of its sails.
Napa Valley can breathe easier this weekend. The huge fire raging just outside the valley appears to be coming under containment, with no damage to wineries or vineyards.
The County Fire was still enormous on Thursday morning, at 88,000 acres – more than 20 percent the size of all of Napa Valley. It's bigger than the fires that ravaged Napa and Sonoma Counties last year.
But fortunately, the County Fire has not reached Napa Valley, only the rough Napa County hills north and east of Napa Valley proper. It's now 33 percent contained, much more than two days ago.
And with July 4 having passed by, sparks from illegal fireworks are now unlikely until New Year's Day (unless the Giants win the World Series again). It seems that Napa Valley will be spared the wrath of this particular flaming behemoth.