(Wines&Vines) - Staff at wineries in the East Coast readied their facilities as best they could in the face of Hurricane Sandy but some wineries still received damage and Red Hook Winery in Brooklyn was devastated after receiving the full brunt of the storm surge floodwaters. Because this year’s harvest in the East was, on average, about two weeks early, even winemakers who often don’t pick late ripening red varietals until late October or even early November had finished bringing in their grapes. Consequently, preparations for a hurricane were focused on the issues of flooding, winds and, for those near the coastline, storm surges. Wines & Vines contacted several wineries along the East Coast to find out how they prepared and how they fared during and after the storm.