Some 30 wineries in Willamette Valley are suing Warren Buffett’s energy company PacifiCorp for negligence surrounding the 2020 wildfires that caused catastrophic smoke taint to their crops. In a law suit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court last week, wineries and vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley are collectively suing energy company PacifiCorp. They claim that the firm’s decision not to shut off power during a windstorm in 2020 contributed to the devastating wildfires that subsequently swept through the area, causing smoke taint to vintners’ grapes. While some wineries have managed to claw back a portion of their harvest investment by distilling their tainted grapes into spirits, the 2020 vintage was largely a write-off. The newly filed complaint states that growers were unable to sell their 2020 grapes, and wineries couldn’t sell their wines, resulting in lost revenue and damaged reputations. “Grapes and grape juice that are infused with smoke can carry the smoke compounds and smoke taste through the entire wine production, bottling process, and sale to the consumers,” the complaint reads. Despite paying out “extraordinary costs” to try to save their 2020 vintages, efforts largely failed, according to the complaint. The wineries are seeking more than US$100 million in damages. PacifiCorp has indicated that it’s committed to settling “all reasonable claims” and has already been ordered by several Oregon juries to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars in other cases related to the 2020 fires during trails held over the past year. The final tally could see PacifiCorp
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
