Smoke taint threat from California wildfires

There are fears among California vintners that the wildfires currently raging in the state may affect grapes with smoke taint.

As reported by The Guardian, vintners in Napa are concerned about how the smoke from a fire in neighboring Lake County may affect their crop this year.

“It’s a really big concern for vineyards near the fires because for red grapes, where the skin is still used in the winemaking process, the smoke could potentially infuse and create abnormal flavors,” a Sonoma-based winemaker who asked not to be named, told The Guardian.

A number of winemakers have sent grape samples to laboratories to determine whether or not they have been affected by the fumes.

“It depends on where the grapes are located and the state of the grapes. This is something to seriously watch in about a month when the grapes are getting ready for harvest,” Andy Beckstoffer of Beckstoffer Vineyards told the paper.

Some 3,600 firefighters have been battling the blaze in Rocky, where over 70,000 acres of forest have been consumed by flames.

Australia’s Department of Agriculture and Food investigated the effect of smoke taint on grapes after wildfires ignited near Canberra in 2003.

“Wines made from grapes exposed to smoke during sensitive growth stages can exhibit aromas and flavours resembling smoked meat, disinfectant, leather, salami and ashtrays,” a report from the company stated. Over 1,500 wildfires have already erupted in California this year.