Mudslide cuts off access to Santa Cruz winery

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KTVU) - The saturated ground is causing a big problem for one winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards off Highway 9 has been shut down for several days because of a mudslide blocking a crucial road into the winery.

The winery's tasting room is usually open daily but the mudslide has put a temporary stop to any wine tastings.
　
"I think it happened Wednesday night. The winery has been closed since," said Savannah-Chanelle's winemaker Anthony Craig. "We have a tasting room. We sell everything direct to the public through our tasting room so every day we're down is lost income."
　
The winery announced on Twitter it hopes to reopen by the end of the week if not sooner. Cal Trans crews are monitoring the slide but because the road is private, say they are only responsible for keeping the highway portion clear.

Craig is a professional winemaker but says he knows little about mud removal and hopes Cal Trans will help.

"If we remove the mud from the bottom, it's just going to keep sliding down to Highway 9 here which is a massive liability. And it's not just our our property, it's also our neighbor's property which (the) landslide is coming across our driveway so it's more than just us impacted by this," said Craig.
　
Cal Trans workers say they're also monitoring another hazard, which is the water streaming across the roadway.

With the low temperatures, workers are concerned the water could freeze to they are sanding it in hopes of decreasing the hazard.