I also posted this in the Travel Forum…
Today, comprehensive update at SF Gate for the area as regards to the fires, park closures and air quality.
A friend of mine was checking vineyards in on the CentralCoast the other day. Said the smell of smoke was surprisingly strong in Arroyo Grande, bad in Salinas but not too bad in the Salinas Valley.
Mel, did you mean Arroyo Seco as Arroyo Grande is way south of the fire?
My friend said Arroyo Grande…If the wind is going that way, it is not far away.
I live near Arroyo Grande. No smoke in this area.
Arroyo Grande is south of Paso Robles. He must mean Arroyo Seco.
My friend had dinner at friends’ house somewhere btwn Nipomo and Arroyo Grande Saturday night and smelled smoke in the air and reported this to me. My friend has worked at wineries in four different counties, knows the diff btwn Arroyo Seco and Arroyo Grande.
I spent the last two years checking grapes in the Santa Lucia Highlands and down in Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills. Smoke was minimal (and high) though you could certainly see it from the vineyards at the middle part of the SLH. More importantly (because I was there only two days) the Franscioni and Pisoni families have proactively been testing grapes for guaiacol (the chemical found in smoke tainted grapes) and all results have come back as none detected. They will continue to check over the next few weeks.
I am guessing we will start harvest in 3 weeks or so.
Adam Lee
Siduri Wines
Drove up to Sequoia and the San Joaquin valley is full of smoke although you can’t smell it thru the cow shit. LOL
Shot from the 99 looking west
Good article about it in the LA Times:
Now there is a fire in the Paso Robles area. Seems like these fires will never end.