A renowned winery in Washington announced it will not release a 2020 vintage due to smoke damage. The owners of Betz Family Winery in Woodinville said their vineyards were impacted by the Evans Canyon wildfires last September.
"There is just nothing and it’s extremely sad. And we’ll be honest, we certainly hoped, we tried, we prayed, we hoped, but it just wasn’t meant to be," said Bridgit Griessel, owner and president of Betz Family Winery. "It’s devastating for all of us."
She said smoke and ash blanketed their vineyards in the Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley. After picking the fine wine grapes, Griessel said their consulting winemakers immediately detected smoke taint.