Wine Barrel Rooms – Are they safe?

We are waiting to see reports of the full damage that the Napa earthquake has caused. We know that many homes and businesses have been red tagged. Others residents and businesses have much clean up to do. A friend of ours has a house on Milton Road in Napa, which was the epicenter of the quake. He says, “The house was in shambles with chandeliers, lamps, furniture and objects d’art tossed off shelves, out of cabinets and hurled clear across the rooms. The water pipes from the purification system to the storage tank sheared off. No electricity or water for several days.”

Janelle and I know earthquakes, as we have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area our entire lives. One of the things that scares us the most in wine country is a wine barrel room. Fortunately, most wineries do not allow tourists into barrel rooms. Wine tours usually show barrel rooms from a view point. But what about the folks who work daily in a barrel room? With barrels stacked as high as the ceiling, these rooms present a very hazardous environment. I expect to hear reports in the coming weeks that specifically address the dangers in the wine barrel room. I will be researching the barrel room in more detail. I think it is something that needs to be addressed quickly.