Wine & Spirits - December 2020 - 16

North Coast Fire Relief: How to Help
The 2020 fire season in California has been
devastating to Napa and Sonoma counties, the
heart of the American wine industry. The knockon effects for the community are staggering, and
likely to last far into the next year.
We have compiled a short list of organizations
who are doing the on-the-ground work to get
support to those in need, as well as groups who
are working to protect the land now and in the
future.
If you are wondering how you can help,
we recommend a) buying wines from Napa
and Sonoma and b) contributing to these
organizations. -SuSannah Smith
The Napa Valley Community Foundation
works with local donors and nonprofits to tackle
current challenges in Napa Valley. Right now, the

NEWS
IN

BRIEF

focus is on direct aid to those affected by both
the fires and COVID-19. napavalleycf.org
Following the 2019 Kincade Fire, Corazón
Healdsburg launched the Unity & Community
Fund to provide financial support, housing
and additional resources to those affected
by wildfires. The fund has been expanded to
include pandemic-related support as well.
corazonhealdsburg.org
A significant part of the labor for harvest and
year-round vine and wine work is provided by the
Latino community, many of whom have no safety
net to rely on during crises like wildfires. The
Latino Community Foundation's California
Wildfire Relief Fund disperses funds to
specialized local organizations supporting
families displaced by the fires. latinocf.org
Calistoga saw some of 2020's fiercest flames.

The town's Firefighter's Association raises
most of its funds for equipment, training and
direct aid to fire victims at an annual bingo
fundraiser; it also welcomes contributions by
check: P.O. Box 786, Calistoga, CA 94515.
Just northeast of Calistoga, on Howell
Mountain, Angwin was at the center of the Glass
Fire, and the town's volunteer fire department
is in need of major repairs, which must all be
funded by donations. angwinfire.com
Established in 1987, Redwood Empire Food
Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization
serving north coastal California, from Sonoma
County to the Oregon border. refb.org
The Community Action of Napa Valley
Food Bank serves more than 1,000 low-income
residents of Napa County each month through
its seven pantries. canv.org

Ken Evenstad, founder of Domaine Serene
Winery with his wife, Grace, died at his home
in late October after a long illness. He was 77.

tinue to produce wines under his own label,
Timothy Malone Wines.

Echolands, the Washington winery founded
in 2018 by Doug Frost, MS, MW, and conservationist Brad Bergman, has acquired Mill
Creek, a 340-acre site in the Walla Walla AVA.
Previously planted to grains, the site has
never before been cultivated as a vineyard.

DECEMBER 2020

Taras Ochota, a punk
rocker-turned-winemaker, died on October 12, 2020 after an
illness. The 49-yearold ran Ochota Barrels
in South Australia's
Adelaide Hills, crafting
a wild range of wines
that redefined what US drinkers often think
of as "Aussie" wine.
Dolores Cakebread, co-founder with her
husband, Jack, of Napa Valley's Cakebread
Cellars, died October 2, 2020. She was 90.
Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier in Bandol, France, died October 7, 2020, at the age
of 102. Her wines, as well as her cooking and
sense of hospitality, are what drew the attention of writer Richard Olney, who introduced
her to Alice Waters at Chez Panisse and to
importer Kermit Lynch.
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WINE & SPIRITS

DECEMBER 2020

Napa's Diamond Creek Vineyards has a new
team at its helm: Nicole Carter, president of
Merry Edwards Winery, will now also lead
Diamond Creek; winemaker Graham Wehmeier (Futo, Cornell and Merryvale) will
take over from Phil Steinschriber, winemaker
since 1991, as Steinschriber retires.
Bâtonnage, a forum dedicated to women in
wine, has launched a mentorship program
focused on increasing equity in the wine
world. The program will offer mentees support in five areas: winemaking, viticulture,
sales/marketing, retail and hospitality. More
details are available at batonnageforum.com.
Timothy Malone has taken over the role
of head winemaker at J. Christopher wines.
2020 will be his first vintage in charge, having worked as the assistant winemaker at the
winery from 2008 to 2015. Malone will con-

Chris Fletcher has been
promoted from Assistant to Master Distiller
for Jack Daniel's. Born
and raised in Lynchburg,
Fletcher is the grandson
of former Master Distiller Frank Bobo, who
served in the role from 1966 until retiring in
1989. Fletcher will also oversee the company's
new Distillers in Training program.
Ruster Ausbruch is
now Austria's 16th
DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus,
the Austrian equivalent of a PDO), and
the first exclusively
for sweet wine. Unique to the area around
Rust, a town on Lake Neusiedl's western
shore, these botrytis-affected wines have
been highly regarded since the 1500s. The
Ruster Ausbruch regulations now specify that
the wines come entirely from hand-picked,
botrytis-affected grapes grown within Rust's
municipal limits, and achieve at least 45 g/l
residual sugar.
Corrections for Winter 2020:
W&S Top 100 Wineries
DeLille was founded in 1992 (p. 28);
Quilceda Creek's winemaker is Alex Stewart
(p. 34).
The wines of G.D. Vajra are entirely estate
grown (p. 61).

http://www.napavalleycf.org http://www.corazonhealdsburg.org http://www.angwinfire.com http://www.refb.org http://www.latinocf.org http://www.canv.org http://www.batonnageforum.com

Wine & Spirits - December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2020