A key to preventing
Smoky Flavour
I
t’s a problem plaguing grape-
may be absorbed into ripening grapes
in recent years, and the season
growers worldwide — in an
and subsequently impacting wine
Australia just experienced, I don’t
ever-changing climate, how can
flavour.
think a solution can come quickly
they protect their crops from the
undesirable effects of wildfire smoke exposure.
“It’s definitely one of, if not the, biggest concern wine-making communities are facing today,” says
enough,” he says. “Winemakers are under a lot of pressure to find a way to protect their crops.”
A recent study by a team of UBC
Wesley Zandberg, assistant professor
Zandberg and his team tested
Okanagan researchers has led to
in chemistry at UBC Okanagan and
multiple substances and found
the development of a preventative
study author.
that applying an agricultural spray
strategy for protecting grapes
“When you look at the catastrophic
from volatile phenols-flavoured
wildfire seasons California and
compounds present in smoke that
British Columbia have experienced
composed of phospholipids — typically used to prevent cracking in cherries — to wine grapes one week before exposing them to simulated forest fire smoke significantly reduced the levels of volatile phenols measured in smoke-exposed grapes at commercial maturity. “The results are encouraging,” says Zandberg. “This strategy has shown potential in its ability to protect crops.” According to Zandberg, when wine grapes absorb compounds from smoke, the grapes react by using their enzymes to coat the compounds in sugar. This sugar
Providing Canadian Grapevine Solutions
coating masks the smoky odour and taste of volatile phenols until it’s released again by yeast during the fermentation process. “Many grape growers don’t have the means to pay to test their crops, so since smoke taint can’t be
BRITISH COLUMBIA
QUEBEC
NOVA SCOTIA
ONTARIO Wes Wiens/Tina Wall Nathan Phillips Wes Wiens/Tina Wall Ian Kaye p. 905-984-4324 p: 250-809-6040 p. 905-984-4324 p. 902-740-2493 sales@vinetech.ca bcsales@vinetech.ca qcsales@vinetech.ca nssales@vinetech.ca
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reliably detected until grapes are fermented, producers have to wait weeks to know whether their plants
