Will Wine Prices Increase After California Earthquake?

Aug 25, 2014

(ABCNews) - No use crying over spilled wine.

With the epicenter of Sunday's earthquake that struck Northern California a mere six miles southwest of Napa, vino fans across the country have been concerned about the many wines that were destroyed in the 6.1-magnitude tumbler.

Although some places sustained losses in the thousands of dollars, wine drinkers can breathe a sigh of relief since the damage from Sunday's earthquake -- while devastating for some residents and Napa's famed wineries -- is not likely to affect how much you pay for that bottle of red or white, experts said.

Sara Cummings, a spokeswoman for Sonoma County Vintners, which represents more than 200 wineries and affiliates, said the 450 wineries in the county are currently assessing the damage.

"Losses of wine and other damages in Sonoma County, while significant for several wineries, seem to be relatively minor," she said.

Winemakers said many images of damaged bottles were taken from wine bars and stores around downtown Napa, as opposed to the agricultural region surrounding it. Still, Cummings said it's "too soon to tell if any losses will impact wine prices," though many residents and restaurants experienced property damage. According to one estimate, the overall damage from the quake may reach $1 billion, says EQECAT, a company that studies catastrophe risk.

Larry Hyde, of Hyde Vineyards, echoed Cummings' comments.

"Our Hyde Vineyards winery had barrels tumbling down," he said, adding there were "some broken bottles of wine and some lost barrels."

"Some might be drilled and transferred to new barrels to be salvaged as they piled up tumbling down breaking [barrel] staves," said Hyde.

Fortunately, Hyde's harvest of Pinot Noir grapes went on as scheduled Sunday


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