Santa Cruz Wineries Remember 1989 Earthquake
Epicenter Cuvee Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Benefits Relief Efforts
Oct 10, 2009
As it became known that the Santa Cruz Mountains was directly affected, calls from the wine media began to come in from all over the world. At the time, Chuck Devlin, formerly of Devlin Wine Cellars and now at Ste. Chapelle Winery, Idaho, was serving as president of the Santa Cruz County Vintner’s Association, now known as SCMWA. An idea began to take shape.
Wineries Produce 1989 Epicenter Cuvee Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
A group of wineries consisting of Bargetto, Bonny Doon, Hallcrest, Devlin, Roudon-Smith, Storrs, and Salamandre each agreed to donate one barrel of Chardonnay wine toward a blend of this memorable 1989 vintage. The “Epicenter Cuvee” would be bottled and sold to raise funds for disaster relief. Board members Devlin, June Smith and Martin Bargetto came up with the dramatic idea of using the image of the actual seismograph for the label. The verbiage contained the line: “This Chardonnay should reach its peak on Oct. 17, 1990 at 5:04 p.m.”
The effort in itself was a donation, as many of the wineries had lost some portion of their ’89 vintage in the earthquake. A total of 175 cases of 1989 Epicenter Cuvee Chardonnay were produced and later on, 275 cases of 1989 Epicenter Cuvee Pinot Noir. The sales of both of these wines generated $15,000 in proceeds, and delegated for relief efforts through the agencies of the Greater Santa Cruz County Community Foundation and the Santa Cruz Red Cross.
Santa Cruz Mountains Winemakers Recall Events of October 17, 1989
As Santa Cruz residents approach the 20th anniversary of this catastrophic event, Bargetto and Roudon-Smith Wineries look back and share some memories of that day, recalling them as vividly as if the earthquake had just happened yesterday.
Martin Bargetto - Bargetto Winery
“Bargetto winery lost 3000 gallons of white wine when a tank door seal ruptured. The winemaking team could do nothing but watch it flow into the drain. Cases of bottled inventory smashed onto the floor of the tasting room from the storage bins above the bar. Luckily, no one was injured in all the commotion.”
Bob Roudon – Roudon-Smith Winery
Bob Roudon, now retired, says, “The most traumatic event was a few minutes after the end of the quake. I rushed down to the cellar and was greeted by four inches of fermenting Chardonnay flowing out the door, washing over my boots.
During the cleanup, while moving the barrels and trying to salvage what wine we could, we came upon a pair of rubber boots at the bottom of the pile, belonging to our cellar rat, Abundio, who had left early to watch the game. It was good that he was not in them!”
“We are still grateful to all our friends and fellow vintners who loaned us equipment and gave us a hand during the massive cleanup”, he added.
1989 Pinot Noir Wine Bottle Placed in Ceremonial Time Capsule
June Smith represented the winegrowers association at the groundbreaking of the St. George Hotel on the Pacific Garden Mall, held two years after the earthquake. A bottle of 1989 Epicenter Cuvee Pinot Noir, the final release under this label was chosen to be included along with other items of significance into a time capsule placed in the cornerstone of the building. Local dignitaries present included Assemblyman Sam Farr, Mayor Jane Yokohama, and developer Barry Swenson with his partner Robert Meyer.
San Andreas Fault
This major earthquake caused 63 deaths, 3,757 injuries, and an estimated $6-10 billion in property loss. Also known as the “World Series Quake,” it registered a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale and lasted about 15 seconds. It was the largest earthquake to occur on the San Andreas Fault since the “Great San Francisco Earthquake” in April, 1906.
Related Article by June Smith,
Twentieth Anniversary of 89 Loma Prieta Earthquake
Related Article by Maureen K. Fleury,
 |
 |
