Three Willamette Valley vineyards are suing two regional utility companies for alleged neglect and for not shutting down power to the transmission lines they say contributed to the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire east of Eugene. The vineyards claim the smoke and ash from the fire damaged their grape harvest and sales.
King Estate Winery, Iris Vineyards and Pfeiffer Vineyards filed the case on Sep. 13 in the Oregon U.S. District Court against federal utility Bonneville Power Administration and Lane Electric Cooperative. Lane Electric asked the court to be dismissed from the case on Nov. 18.
In their complaint, the vineyards are accusing Bonneville of negligently cutting some but not all trees at risk of falling and making contact with power lines the federal utility manages. The allegations also claim Bonneville failed to shut off power to transmission lines despite “numerous warnings regarding high winds and extreme fire risk” from the National Weather Service on and before Sept. 7, 2020. The vineyards are requesting a jury trial and about $11.4 million in damages.
“The effect of the smoke impacted many lives, both in the short and long term, including by wreaking havoc on the grapes grown in the renowned and fertile Willamette Valley,” read the complaint. “This action seeks to recover damages caused by the Holiday Farm Fire’s smoke, particles, and chemicals, which made grapes unsuitable for wine.”
Related: Oregon researchers look for ways to reduce 'smoke taint' in wine
In their complaint, the vineyards say wildfires can cause “extensive damage” when the grapes absorb smoke and ash particles.
Cole Cerrato, an assistant professor with Oregon State University’s Wine Research Institute, told OPB that when wine grapes are tainted with smoke, they may acquire an unpleasant smoky flavor.
“It can be rough. It makes sense why winemakers would not want that on the shelves,” Cerrato said. “What I say is it tastes kind of ashy, it’s like if you’ve ever smelled an ashtray that sat out overnight. It’s kind of like what that smell is.”
Usually, if the grapes test too high for smoke taint, Cerrato said, wineries reject the batch and vineyards usually are forced to leave the grapes unharvested on the vine. One of the wineries in the case claims it had to reject several hundred tons of damaged grapes.
“Unlike other types of food products, wine is somewhat unique in this aspect,” Cerrato said. “And so sometimes the only option for wineries or grape growers is to drop their grapes and they can’t sell what they have for that year.”
Related: Wildfires lead to unpleasant smoky flavor in Oregon wines
Several other dozen Oregon vineyards and wineries are suing another utility, PacifiCorp, for similar allegations. Other businesses and residents are also separately suing Bonneville Power Administration for mismanaging its transmission lines. That federal utility has asked to be dismissed from those cases. Bonneville did not respond to a request for comment to OPB by the time this story was published.
A spokesperson for Lane Electric, which gets most of its power from Bonneville and is asking the court to dismiss it from the case, told OPB it cannot comment on pending litigation.