In early January 2025, a series of wildfires ravaged Los Angeles, significantly impacting the local wine industry. Over 10,000 homes were destroyed, and approximately 19,382 hectares of land were burned.
On January 7, the Palisades Fire ignited, quickly spreading through Pacific Palisades and parts of Malibu. This was followed by the Eaton Fire, which caused extensive devastation that night. The wildfires would dominate the city’s landscape for the following ten days, threatening densely populated neighbourhoods such as Pasadena and Santa Monica.
The situation created immense distress for local business owners and employees. Rebecca Rose Phillips, wine director and managing partner at Vintage Wine + Eats, voiced her concerns for her staff’s safety, saying that it often felt like a game of “whack-a-mole,” trying to manage daily decisions of whether to open based on fire threats. Amanda Rubin, owner of AJA Vineyards, faced similar challenges with her tasting room situated near evacuation zones.
As the aftermath of the fires became clear, images of destruction, including a levelled Rosenthal Winery tasting room, circulated online. Fortunately, no commercial vineyards sustained damage this time, unlike the extensive harm caused by the Woolsey Fire in 2018, which devastated Malibu’s vineyards.
Several vineyard owners and wine professionals experienced personal losses. Many, like Kristin Olszewski of Nomadica and Diego Meraviglia of the North American Sommelier Association, saw their homes destroyed.
In response to the tragedy, the local wine community rallied together to support relief efforts. Nicole Lalagüe, owner of Pasadena Wine Shop, mobilized her resources upon returning from a trip to Uruguay, where she learned that her own home had burned down. Though unable to operate normally, she organized to sell wine at a discounted price while donating the proceeds to the California Fire Foundation, raising over $25,000 in ten days.
Local businesses worked collaboratively to gather donations for those affected by the fires. Phillips and her neighbors quickly organized drives, garnering immense community support and hundreds of donations to shelters.
AJA Vineyards, spared in this fire, decided to contribute by donating all proceeds from their 2018 FIVE Red Wine Blend to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation for a limited time.
Ian Blackburn of LearnAboutWine is set to host the LA Fire Fundraiser on March 12 and 13, aiming to raise significant funds for affected communities through an event featuring music, food, wine, and auctions.
Additionally, the United Sommeliers Foundation stepped in to provide immediate assistance to impacted sommeliers, awarding emergency grants to those in need.
Despite the long challenges ahead, including rebuilding from the fires as well as navigating the ongoing effects of the pandemic and inflation, the wine community in Los Angeles is committed to moving forward together.