By Stephen Floyd
Willamette Valley Vineyards (WVV) has sued PacifiCorp for $8.2 million after the 2020 wildfires allegedly caused irreversible damage to the quality of wine grapes throughout the region.
The Turner-based business filed suit in Marion County Circuit Court July 24, claiming soot and smoke from the fires tainted a “vast majority” of its 2020 vintages.
WVV said it lost roughly $2.74 million in raw material and finished products, and argued damages should be tripled due to the defendant’s alleged recklessness. The plaintiff grows grapes at its own vineyards and buys from third-party growers throughout Marion and Yamhill counties.
PacifiCorp was served with notice of the suit July 31 and, as of press time, had yet to file a response.
A Portland jury found PacifiCorp liable in June for negligently causing multiple fires throughout Oregon during high heat and wind conditions on Sept. 7, 2020. These included the Santiam, Echo Mountain, 242 and South Obenchain fires.
The jury awarded $87 million to fire survivors in the first phase of a class action lawsuit against PacifiCorp that could result in billions of dollars in total damages. PacifiCorp has said it will appeal the June verdict and continues to deny wrongdoing.
In its lawsuit, WVV included details from the class action trial including the willful negligence of PacifiCorp’s executives and efforts by the company to destroy or conceal evidence.
Oregon wineries suffered significant losses from the 2020 wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research published by University of Oregon in 2021. Statewide grape yields were down 29% compared to 2019, while sales through tasting rooms, wine clubs and other direct sales fell 27%.
Efforts to study the impacts of wildfire smoke on West Coast wine production remain ongoing. Oregon State University received a $7.65 million federal research grant in 2021 with the goal of finding low-cost solutions to future smoke contamination.
