Quantifying the impact of forest fire smoke on grapes and wine In 2017, vineyards in the Okanagan
may possess negative aromas and
of smoke taint in wine. As well, we
Valley of British Columbia, Canada
flavours (e.g., ‘ashy’, ‘barnyard’,
demonstrated that the chemistry
experienced prolonged smoke
‘band-aid’) and/or a dearth of
of smoke-exposed grapes and the
exposure, raising concerns from the
varietal characteristics that are
resulting wine may have a geographic
local wine industry about the potential
collectively termed smoke taint. A
signature, meaning smoke taint in
impact to the 2017 vintage. Similarly,
family of volatile compounds (VCs),
Australia is likely different from
wildland fires in the wine-producing
which we can taste and smell,
smoke taint in North America.
regions of California, Washington,
and their sugar-bound derivatives,
Chile, South Africa, and Australia in
correlate to the intensity of smoke
2017, and the predicted increase in the
taint in wine. Although the sugar-
frequency of forest fires in the above-
bound compounds are tasteless
mentioned wine-producing regions,
and odourless, fermentation can
have brought the impact of smoke exposure on the quality of grapes and the resulting wines to the forefront. In collaboration with Dr. Wesley Zandberg at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, Supra Research and Development initiated a research program aimed at understanding how smoke exposure impacts the quality of grapes and wine, with an emphasis on products grown and produced in the Okanagan Valley.
transform these compounds, making them perceptible in the wine as smoke-taint. There is also evidence
From speaking with industry stakeholders, the most pressing issue regarding smoke taint is how grape growers and wine producers can reliably manage product quality in the event of smoke exposure. Currently, the gold standard is to perform small-scale fermentations with
suggesting that the sugar-bound VCs
subsequent tasting. Alternatively, you
can be changed by oral bacteria and
can quantify the VCs and their sugar-
during bottle aging, such that the
bound forms in grapes. The former
VCs can be perceived in the wine.
approach is resource-intensive and
But the sugar-bound VCs are not the
requires up to two weeks to obtain
whole story. By studying grapes from
results, while the latter is only 50-to-
vineyards in the Okanagan Valley,
80 per cent predictive of perceptible
we have preliminary evidence for
smoke-taint in wine. We are working
additional (non-sugar) bound forms
with local vineyards to provide the
We know that wine made from
of VCs in smoke-exposed grapes that
wine industry with the reliability they
grapes exposed to forest fire smoke
likely contribute to the presentation
need by refining existing approaches
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