Napa Earthquake Update & News: Which Wineries Were Affected; Economic Hit Could Reach $1 Billion

Insured losses resulting from Sunday's earthquake in Napa could result in many millions of dollars in damage, and perhaps up to $1 billion. The jolting earthquake, which ravaged buildings in downtown Napa starting around 3:20 a.m. on Sunday, affected the wine industry especially hard.

A total of 12 wineries had to close following Sunday's earthquake.

"August, September and October grape harvest represents the busiest time of year for both the valley's 500 or so vintners," reported the Associated Press.

There's concern that there will be a price hike in California wine because of the millions in damage that has been done, with massive amounts of wine containers that were broken, during which a large amount of wine was lost. But Michael Honig, President of the Napa Vintners Association, told ABC7 News he didn't think the best stuff was lost.

"If there is a silver lining, the two vintages that most wineries have in place now is a 2012 or 2013," he said, "which is our biggest vintages ever, so if we're going to lose something, it's great to lose vintages that we have a lot." 

Some of the Napa wineries that experienced damage included Fontanella Family Winery, and Yates Family Vineyard, Signorello Estate, Etude Wines, Garnet Vineyards, and Napa City Winery. Some wineries decided to reopen by Tuesday.

However, aftershocks were still being felt two days after the quake, and the activity worried people as they continued to clean up the mess.

Financially, the impact from the quake will take some time to fully asses. A state of emergency was declared following the quake, and funds for some repairs have already started to come in.  

"$2 million in Emergency Relief funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration" will be going to help the California Department of Transportation and other agencies handle the costs to road and bridge repair following the quake, reports KPCC.