Tank Garage Winery After the Fire

The small town of Calistoga came under a total evacuation order as the wildfires threatened to engulf the town. Calistoga, at the northern end of the Napa Valley, is home to some particularly eccentric beauties: A magnificent petrified forest, some amazing hot springs, and a geyser are among its famous attractions. It’s also home to art galleries, hiking and cycling trails through beautiful oak woodlands, and over 50 wineries, most of which are small and wonderful boutique spots; this town isn’t the mass-market type. It’s old, quirky, out of the way and incredibly beautiful, and when I thought about the many irreplaceable vintage treasures in the fire’s path I couldn’t help worrying about my friends at Tank Garage and the amazing 1930s service station they converted into a tasting room.

Driving up Petrified Road yesterday, all looked amazingly calm. Vineyards were starting to “flame” in the usual way of turning brilliant gold, red and purple as the leaves went dormant on the vines. Signs everywhere thanked fire crews and first responders, wineries were open for business as the late afternoon sun lit Mt. Saint Helena. It seemed so peaceful. Then I came around a bend in the narrow road and there it was. The land to one side was untouched; to the other, it was torched, covered in a layer of fire retardant, and stinking of chemicals and smoke. Melted cars, trees twisted and blackened to the ground, gaping holes where homes and farms had been. Luckily, my destination (Tank Garage) was still standing and the people inside were tired but unhurt, and more than ready for a drink.

Here, we talk with Ed Feuchuk, one of the employees at Tank Garage, about his experience during and after the fires.

Paste: What’s your current status?

Ed Feuchuk: Safe and exhausted. Our extended team has been significantly affected. Some people lost their homes, our two owners bravely, and single-handedly, fought fires threatening their own homes and wineries and have been without power and water for much of the past 10 days. All of our facilities were narrowly saved and, thankfully, most of our fruit had been brought in already and is unharmed. But we did lose some fruit and vineyards and are still assessing the damage.