taint

In recent years, wildfires have become a major threat to the wine industry because of the effects of smoke on wine grapes. Smoke taint from the California fires of September 2020 significantly impacted the quality of wine grapes. In total, smoke taint cost the wine industry in Western states more than $3 billion in losses from the hundreds of thousands of tons of wine grapes that could not be harvested because of the off flavors imparted by the smoke. The California wine industry alone is a $43 billion a year business and the state’s frequent wildfires are a major threat to it.

Researchers at Oregon State University have developed techniques for eliminating the effects of three volatile chemical compounds that contribute to smoke taint in grapes. The compounds are guaicol, syringol, and meta-cresol.

The researchers developed cellulose nanofiber-based coatings that can be applied to grapes in the vineyard. The coatings can block guaicol and syringol and capture meta-cresol.

Blocking is ideal because the coating doesn’t absorb the wildfire smoke compounds. Therefore, it doesn’t have to be washed off. Capturing means the coating absorbs the compounds and would need to be washed off. Ideally, a coating that doesn’t need to be washed off would save time, money, and water.

Two years of studies at Oregon State found that the coatings do not impact the growth and quality of wine grapes. In an era when wildfires are increasingly common and extensive, growers need something they can spray on their vines to protect their grapes. If the Oregon State technology can be commercialized, it would be a game-changer for the Western U.S. wine industry.

**********

Web Links

Spray coating for grapes shows promise in battle between wildfire smoke and wine

Photo, posted October 3, 2006, courtesy of Naotake Murayama via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Rising global temperatures have made droughts and heatwaves more common and intense, leading to larger and more destructive wildfires. In 2020, wildfires in California blackened more than 4 million acres, the largest wildfire season on record. With its continuing drought, California has already had 1.5 million acres burned by wildfires this year, and the fires continue.

Wildfires can cause extensive damage throughout the agricultural industry by destroying crops and killing livestock. But the fires can have a unique effect on the wine industry: wine grapes can be affected by smoke taint.

Vineyards have demonstrated themselves to be good fire breaks. They definitely help prevent the movement of wildfires. But there is no way to stop smoke from the fires from drifting into vineyards. By far, the damage caused by smoke far outweighs direct losses from fires in vineyards.

Winemakers sometimes add subtle smoky notes to their vintages by aging them in toasted oak barrels. But wildfire smoke permeating vineyards – even from distant blazes – can end up making wines undrinkable. Smoke-tainted wines end up having unpleasant aromas that people describe as being like disinfectants or burnt rubber.

With wildfires an increasingly persistent presence in California, the state’s $43 billion wine industry is facing a major challenge. An estimated 165,000 to 325,000 tons of California wine grapes went unharvested last year, adding up to more than $600 million in losses from fire and smoke. The industry will need to figure out ways to detect and manage smoke taint as the problem isn’t going to go away.

**********

Web Links

Wildfire Smoke: An Emerging Threat to West Coast Wines

Photo, posted July 25, 2021, courtesy of Felton Davis via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Protecting wine grapes from wildfire smoke

Web Links

Wine And Wildfire Smoke | Earth Wise

Web Links