Clayton Fire dashes dream of Tuscany in Lake County

Clayton Fire dashes dream of Tuscany in Lake County Matt Swinford tried to sleep Saturday night, but he felt nervous as the smell of smoke from a nearby wildfire pierced his nose. Hours later, Swinford and his cat fled the vast Clayton Fire that threatened his cottage on the grounds of Terrill Cellars, a Lake County winery where he pours wine for a living. “I had my fingers crossed,” said Swinford, 35. [...] by Monday it was clear the Terrill Cellars Winery and the cluster of surrounding buildings called Tuscan Village were gone, reduced to the charred cabernet sauvignon grape vines and debris from where a wedding chapel, tree house, and a sandwich shop used to stand. Brad Terrill, the founder of Tuscan Village, estimated he had lost 2,000 gallons of the winery’s newly bottled Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé, Syrah, Zinfandel and port. Perhaps the most painful loss to Terrill was that the Renaissance Fair, whose costumed players arrived each year to put on the festive event, would come no more. Swinford left behind some prized belongings: his Sega Genesis gaming console, his original Nintendo gaming system and the games that went with it — notably Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.