Wine Country is Open

With fire season well underway in California, I keep hearing the same refrain, "Wine country is closed for business."

Frankly, nothing could be further from the truth.

First of all, which wine country? There are about 300 designated wine regions in the United States. Some of them are even in states that aren't on the west coast.

Second, not all wine regions in California or even just north of San Francisco Bay were affected by the fire. Here is a map of Bay area wine regions (the colorful outlines and the fire zones (in red) and the full extent of the mandatory evacuation zones (in gray). There were plenty of areas that were endangered. But plenty that were not and were open for business. And those folks will need the business if they are going to provide the taxes and other assistance to aid their less fortunate neighbors.

So stay out of the evacuation zones. Check CalFire for information about road closures. Don't wander into fire zones for a picture. Don't fly a drone for a picture. Basically, don't be a jerk. And drink wine.

Oh, and pray for rain.