BY KAREN BOSSICK

The fires that have blackened Napa and Sonoma counties may be 700 miles from Sun Valley. But the tragedy of 41 lost lives, 5,500 lost homes and businesses and lost vineyards is hitting close to home for many in the Wood River Valley, including some valley residents who have homes in Sun Valley and California.

Christine Davis-Jeffers and Callan Miranda have been watching the story as it plays out with particular interest. The Center works closely with growers from the area to put on the Sun Valley Wine Auction, which raised $1.7 million for The Center’s arts programming last summer.

The two had just returned from Sonoma County Wine Auction, where they were invited as guests of Pride Mountain Vineyards, when the fires broke out.

“It was a beautiful time to be there, as you could smell the ripening grapes, see the ripe fruit on the vine and watch the workers hard at work during the harvest,” said Miranda, director of the Sun Valley Wine Auction. “We really felt as if we were in the thick of it.”

Of course, acrid smoke fills the air now. And, while 90 percent of the grapes had been harvested, growers worry that those left may be tainted with a smoky flavor.

About 85 vintners take part in the Sun Valley Wine Auction each year, and many of them hail from Napa and Sonoma counties.

Davis-Jeffers has been scouring reports from the Sonoma Vintners Association and other industry reports and checking in with friends and supporters to keep track of vintners involved with the Sun Valley Wine Auction. And she and Miranda have been emailing vintners to let them know they’re thinking of them.

“It’s a terrible triage, as everyone who lives in that area is involved in the industry either directly or indirectly through businesses like hospitality and agriculture,” Davis-Jeffers said. “I’m seeing notes like, ‘We’re okay.’ But I also know of some vintners whose property was damaged and of some who have lost everything.

“There are a lot of unknowns,” she added. “Some were evacuated quickly and urgently and they have not been allowed back in to see what’s left, what’s not. The No. 1 thing is that many of our friends have been affected.”

It has not been a good year for the grapes.

The widespread devastation in the vineyards of California comes just as growers in Spain, France and Italy report they will have the worst harvest since 1982 due to extreme weather there.

European vineyards have been battered by hailstorms, hard frosts, drought and unusually warm weather, which ripened the grapes too early retarding their growth.

Davis-Jeffers and Miranda returned from the Sonoma County Wine Auction having made lots of new contacts for their own Sun Valley affair.

Like the Sun Valley Wine Auction, the Sonoma County Wine Auction has been named one of the top charitable wine auctions in the country by “Wine Spectator.” It brings together superstars in the wine industry and celebrity chefs.

The auction costs $2,500 to attend, with Pride Mountain covering Davis-Jeffers and Miranda’s costs. And it raised a record-breaking $5.2 million this year to benefit local communities and nonprofit organizations, including literacy.

The Sun Valley Center for the Arts put together a lot package for that auction that included two tickets to the 2018 Sun Valley Wine Auction, a collection of wine, luncheon, lodging and other items highlighting Sun Valley’s adventurous outdoor lifestyle. And the Sonoma County Wine Auction plans to  reciprocate with an auction lot for Sun Valley’s 2018 Wine Auction.

 “It’s a fun way to give back to a community that supports us in such a big way,” said Davis-Jeffers. “And, while there, we met new vintners who wanted to know about Sun Valley.”

Pride Mountain Vineyards, a 235-acre estate with 23,000 square feet of subterranean storage under on a mountain top 20 miles east of Santa Rosa, appears to have been spared, Davis-Jeffers said.

“But the threat is still ongoing, as firefighters are struggling to contain the fires in a significant way because of the winds shifting,” she said. “We’re just keeping our fingers crossed.”

Davis-Jeffers says the Wine Auction will find some way to acknowledge the struggles so many of its vintners are going through come next summer’s Wine Auction.

“And I hope our wine auction will provide them the opportunity to connect with support,” she said. “I hope it provides them a break from rebuilding their lives. A lot already consider the time they spend in Sun Valley during our Wine Auction a vacation. That could be the case more than ever this year.”

WANT TO HELP?

Contributions are being taken for the Sonoma County Resilience Fund Vintners Association at www.sonomawine.com. Checks may be mailed to the Community Foundation Sonoma County, 120 Stony Point Rd., Suite 220, Santa Rosa, CA 95401.

The Napa Valley Vintners established the Napa Community Disaster Relief Fund to help victims of the 2014 South Napa earthquake and has mobilized it in wake of the fires. Access it at www.napavalleycf.org.

BUBBLY BASH COMING:

Tickets will go on sale Nov. 1 for the Sun Valley Center for the Arts’ annual New Year’s Eve Bubbly Bash. This year’s Bubbly Bash has been themed “Winter Wonderland” and guests are encouraged to wear white attire.

It will feature an L.A.-based DJ and will again be sponsored by Barefoot Bubbly. The event is a popular one with tickets selling out every year.