I was out and about yesterday in the Salinas Valley. This is the so-called “Basin Complex Fire” that is burning in the Los Padres National Forest. This was taken east of Highway 101 near Chualar looking south, and the hills you see to the right are the Santa Lucia Highlands.

The fires in this area have been particularly abundant this year. We’ve had two fires in the Santa Cruz mountains, some dangerously close to vineyards, a fire in a populated area near Watsonville, a major fire burning west of King City in the Ventana Wilderness (the so-called Indians Fire), and the Basin Complex fire burning in the Big Sur & Ventana Wilderness. As a result of all of these fires, this area as been blanketed by smoke for weeks and has affected most wine-growing regions here. What the effect on grape quality, photosynthesis and ripening is difficult to determine right now. Our local economy is pretty dependent on Big Sur tourism this time of year, so the economic impacts are being felt by many folks, most obviously by the folks operating businesses there. For more information about the situation, visit: http://www.surfire2008.org/news.php.

Other news:

Meanwhile, here at Cima Collina, we may be coughing, but we’re chugging along. Jane Beery, premier dame of the local wine world here, is our new tasting room manager and doing a dandy job. When here, be sure to stop by and visit when you’re in town.

We will pour wine at the “Red, White & Brews Festival” in Carmel Valley Community Park this Saturday, July 12, from 11-5. There will be other wineries, beer, eats, and a lot of fun. This is sponsored by the Monterey Chapter of the Knights of the Vine, and has been organized by Peter of English Ales Brewery (great beers, here in Marina!). This event supports scholarships for local youth entering wine industry-related educational programs.

Winery Happenings:

I’m working on finishing my plans for bottling our 2007 wines. We are working on organizing the winery and will start racking at the end of this month. More to come on that….

Summer Daze:

What to do with a winemaker’s kid when he’s on summer break? Besides summer camp, horse camp, stays with grandparents how about letting him draw on the floor! Here’s a sample of how my son has spent some of his time off:

Blog News

If you haven’t noticed already, I have had to pare down the time I spend keeping this blog up-to-date. As the days progress, my time does not seem to increase, and the number of brain cells I retain only decreases. I still have only 24 each 7, so the blog has to take the hit, as much as I hate to admit it. Racking, Bottling, & Harvest time will remain a very active part of my blog, however, so stay tuned in the next few months for more info!