JOANNE JENNINGS:
The tasting room, which was also the winery office and a dining room, burned to the ground. But Birebent says he wants to focus on what survives.
Fortunately, he said, the fire stopped short of reaching the vineyard, the crush pad, or any of the wine barrels stored in the site; 95 percent of this year’s grapes had already been harvested.
But, to be sure, Birebent takes these samples to a laboratory to make sure that the juice is not too acidic for winemaking. If the crops are good, a staff of 25 employees will have work to return.
As the fires begin to die down and the smoke clears, people here are beginning to wonder when tourists, who fuel much of the economy, will return.
It’s a serious concern for Andrew and Jeni Schluter, who are self-employed and raising a young family.
ANDREW SCHLUTER, Andrew’s Tours and Transportation: I do wine tours and transportation for people. And my business started doing really, really well. I was on track to have the best month ever.
