Most vintners have long insulated themselves in a no-political zone. But Dario Sattui is no ordinary vintner. Read PD wine columnist Peg Melnik’s take on the controversy ignited by Sattui’s comments on firefighters’ pay and benefits.

Napa winemaker Dario Sattui angered firefighters with written comments critical of their pay and benefits. Now he is at the center of a growing Internet-based confrontation with public safety employees and their supporters.

Napa Valley winemaker Dario Sattui responds to the outpouring of negative reaction to his criticism of firefighters’ pay and benefits. “My concern is strictly with budgets, not with the firefighters themselves,” he says.

Do you know this Napa Valley vintner? His letter to the editor about firefighters’ wages and benefits ignited a firestorm on Facebook and Twitter over the weekend. Angry North Bay firefighters and police officers are now encouraging supporters to boycott his wines.