In recent years, the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires have posed significant challenges for winemakers and grape growers. One of the most pressing issues is the impact of smoke exposure on grapes, which can lead to undesirable flavors and aromas in the resulting wines. This document aims to provide winemakers and grape growers with a general understanding of their options for evaluating smoke-tainted grapes. “With localized testing now available at ETS, a winemaker can make more informed decisions on whether to harvest the grapes or write them off,” says General Manager Kyle Crowley of VA Filtration USA. By exploring various assessment methods and mitigation strategies, the industry can make informed decisions to ensure the quality and marketability of their wines despite the challenges posed by smoke exposure. Pre-Harvest: Pull grape (berries) samples to test before harvesting all your grapes for fermentation production. ETS offers an excellent smoke panel t

Let’s look at some maps Last week I was in the middle of writing a post about how great this year was turning out. I thought, just as long as growers can avoid something disastrous, this could be a great vintage. Within 24 hours, the Pickett fire grew from a small blaze north of Calistoga to a towering wildfire that has since consumed 6000 acres. Of course, this comes on the heels of the Gifford fire in San Luis Obispo, which has taken out over 100k acres the week before. For some growers in Napa and Edna valley, harvest may be over before it starts. While the definitive kibosh will come from lab analysis, knowing how smokey it got and when is useful for metering expectations and determining the next step. And there are some super useful tools out there! The EPA has a wide network of air quality sensors throughout the country with varying degrees of concentration. The map below shows just how many of these stations are publicly available, so you can see where air quality is suffe

WAVE is the Washington wine industry’s signature research seminar/webinar and stands for Washington Advancements in Viticulture and Enology. WAVEx seminars/webinars feature research in a condensed format.  This webinar highlights the latest findings of a smoke exposure research project supported by the Washington wine industry and led by Dr. Tom Collins, assistant professor at Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology Department. Register here.

amaea are proud to announce their partnership with Winesecrets, a long-standing service provider for U.S wineries. With amaea’s innovative, molecular filtration technology in hand, U.S winemakers will now be able to recover more value from smoke impacted wine, without the need for excessive intervention. What does this partnership mean for winemakers? Value recovery: Remediate smoke impacted wine with greater potential to bring it back to its intended program. Tailored sensory outcomes: Achieve desired sensory outcomes and bring out the best from your wine with adjustable treatment rates. Lasting quality: Have the confidence that smoke markers will not return in your wine. Sustainability: Adopt a low-impact production process that uses regenerable polymers. Premium service: Be assured that Winesecrets and amaea, will deliver quality services with expertise and dedication. “Developed to specifically capture the volatile phenols attributed to smoke, by using&nb

The Sustainable Winegrowing podcast brings you the latest science and research for the wine industry from the world's top experts and experienced growers. In the time it takes to drive from one vineyard to another, you can listen to in-depth technical information on topics like integrated pest management, fruit quality, water conservation, and nutrient management. Sharing your Sustainable Story with your visitors is made even easier with our Marketing Tips episodes. Listening is easy: Search for Sustainable Winegrowing on your podcast player. Click subscribe so that you never miss an episode. Use your new knowledge to make smarter, sustainable vineyard management decisions to increase efficiency, conserve resources, and maximize product quality. LISTEN IN to Episode 201: Balance Hot Climate, High Sugar Wine with Green Grape Juice aka Verjus High temperatures and extreme weather events can have numerous impacts on wine grapes and ultimately wine quality. Dr. Andreea Botezatu (Te

Oak Wise conducted a study on the effect of mitigation and amelioration techniques on smoke tainted wine grapes and finished wine. Our objective is to present methods to help mask or balance smoke characteristics in wine by introducing oak ellagitannins or cherry wood tannins at three stages of wine development: addition before primary fermentation addition before malolactic fermentation and addition in finished wine/pre-bottling Results of the study showed that treated wines contained a significantly lower level of perceived smoke attributes with an enhanced overall quality in finished wine.  Click here for the complete technical paper: Oak Wise Technical Paper - Mitigating Smoke Taint.pdf

Some feel good news. While Tastry now works with 5 of the top 10 US wine producers and dozens in the top 100, it's satisfying in a completely different way when we can help a local boutique winery save their 2020 wildfire ravaged vintage and their reputation. The options TastryAi evaluated included carbon filtration, reverse osmosis, enzymatic treatments, non-vintage blends, and the addition of various tannins from Oak Wise products to ameliorate the smoke taint. Read the whole article here.

The wine industry’s innovation journey to solve winemaking issues begins with partnerships The impact of wildfires on grapes, wine and the bottom line is a steadily growing worry for the West Coast wine industry. Recent heavy winter rains are refilling reservoirs and aquifers, which will help alleviate, but not eliminate, wildfire risk. On the other hand, there will be more “dry grass” — the perfect fuel for wildfires to propagate. “Unfortunately, It’s very difficult to predict wildfires, and when they happen, one of the biggest problems is smoke taint in the wine, especially in California, Oregon, and Washington,” says Antonino Li Brizzi, CEO of Della Toffola USA, which serves the wine community. “Even half an hour of contact with the smoke caused by wildfires can be enough to contaminate the grape and the wine, making it unpleasant or frequently unsellable. Some of our customers have faced the risk of losing a vintage, which would impac

Increasing wildfires and annual fire events are impacting the wine industry in a number of ways. Persistent exposure to smoke can compromise the quality and value of winegrapes, affecting wines made from smoke-exposed grapes, thus – driving the need for a better understanding of smoke taint chemistry and treatment.

Increasing wildfires and annual fire events are impacting the wine industry in a number of ways. Persistent exposure to smoke can compromise the quality and value of winegrapes, affecting wines made from smoke-exposed grapes, thus – driving the need for a better understanding of smoke taint chemistry and treatment. In this webinar, we will be presenting innovations in smoke-taint removal, what steps you can take and equipment to use to recover your wines, and how sustainable these methods really are. Register for this complimentary webinar and join to learn more about Smoke Taint Technology and join us on Thursday, June 30th at 11:00 am (PT) Register Now Webinar Presenter: Lorenzo Forbice, Innovation Project Manager / Della Toffola USA