Smoke from the Little Giant Fire, Entiat River Road via Little Giant Fire Info. 2026

Pacific Northwest wineries are currently being affected to greater or lesser degrees by smoke and wildfires. In some cases, entire areas have had to evacuate. In others, wineries have been forced to close temporarily or postpone events.

The most recent severe example comes from British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. The entire district of Summerland, B.C. was put under a mandatory evacuation order this weekend.

“Due to the ongoing wildfire situation impacting Summerland and nearby communities, we have temporarily closed the winery and evacuated the property,” Solvero Wines wrote August 8^th on social media. The winery, which is located in Summerland, subsequently reported on August 9^th that all structures at the winery appeared to be untouched by the fire. Lightning Rock Winery also reported that its winery appeared to be spared and provided a list of area places to donate to.

Overall, according to CBC, nearly 20,000 people in the Summerland area have had to evacuate and another 10,000 have been told to prepare to leave. One person has been killed. The provincial government declared a state of emergency Saturday.

Bella Wines, located in Keremeos, B.C., wrote on social media, “This my fifth smoked out harvest. For context that is 5/12 career vintages with ash falling.” The entire post is heartbreaking.

Lake Chelan Valley in Washington, meanwhile, has been dealing with smoke from the Little Giant Fire. The fire is over 100,000 acres (2% contained) and has over 1,800 personnel deployed. Air quality in the area has, at times, been hazardous.

Several wineries, such as Vin Du Lac Winery and Bistro, closed for a period last week due to smoke. (The winery is now open.) Others, such as Amos Rome, stayed open. The latter is using MERV13 filters in the tasting room. 2205 Wine Company cancelled its annual wine club party. Others pushed forward.

Walla Walla Valley has had an elevated Air Quality Index (AQI) at times recently due to the Grasshopper Fire and other fires in Oregon. Vital Wines in Walla Walla postponed its annual pre-harvest party due to smoke.

Smoke and haze filled Yakima Valley for periods last week. Bartholomew Winery in Washington’s Tri-Cities rescheduled an August event to late September. There is currently an air quality alert in place for all of eastern Washington.

Western Washington wineries, meanwhile, also had smoky conditions for periods last week, as wind directions shifted. Smoke is expect to return to the west side this week.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory on August 10^th for a wide swath of eastern Oregon. This included Hood River County, where numerous wineries are located. Wineries in Idaho’s Treasure Valley have also been experiencing smoky conditions this month.

Smoke and wildfires create a myriad of concerns from immediate danger to health and safety issues to longer-term problems. There is also concern about the potential impact on wine grapes. In terms of the latter, earlier this month the West Coast Smoke Exposure Task force released a set of wildfire smoke resources. Smoke also creates significant concerns for vineyard workers and others who work outdoors.

August is a critical time for wineries. It is the height of tourism season. A decrease in visitation due to closures, smoke, or even concern about smoke can significantly impact the bottom line for wineries and associated businesses.

As I’ve written previously, smoke and AQI are very much dependent on which way the wind blows. For example, in Seattle, the AQI was 158 last Friday evening (“unhealthy”). By Sunday morning it was 24 (“good”). Things can change in one direction or another very quickly.

If you are planning to visit Pacific Northwest wineries – and these wineries and related businesses very much need your support right now – check with the specific wineries you are interested in visiting and keep and eye on local conditions. Additionally, on-line sales and gift certificate purchases go a long way for wineries that are experiencing closures and slowdowns due to smoke and wildfires.

Editor’s Note: My heart goes out to people and businesses that have been impacted by wildfires this year and in previous years.

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