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New Technique Could Protect Wine Grapes From Wildfire Smoke

April Ehrlich | JPR News
Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Alexis Taylor speaks with Rogue Valley Winegrowers president John Pratt in 2018 about smoke taint's effects on wine grape crops.

Wildfire smoke has been a serious concern for Oregon and California winegrowers in recent years. It’s also plaguing growers in Canada, where researchers may have found a liquid spray that keeps grapes from absorbing an ashy flavor during wildfire season.

The spray is typically used to keep cherries from cracking. But a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows that it can also substantially reduce grapes’ risk of developing what's called "smoke taint."

“It’s effectively like painting a coat on the surface of a grape,” says researcher Wesley Zandberg. “It could actually keep stuff out just as well as it keeps things in.”

Grapes are especially susceptible in the warm summer months, when they’re ripening from green to red. Zandberg says smoke molecules (called “volatile phenols”) can attach themselves to grapes’ developing sugars, then later release an ashy odor when those grapes are fermented to make wine.

“The human nose can detect very low concentrations of these things,” Zandberg says. “It doesn't take much to spoil a wine.”

Back in 2018, Rogue Valley winegrowers in southern Oregon almost faced a S4 million loss after their grapes tested positive for smoke taint, leading a California winery to drop its purchase contract with them. The crop was eventually saved by a group of Willamette Valley winegrowers, who used the grapes to make wine and generate profits for the Southern Oregon winegrowers under a new label, Oregon Solidarity.

In the UBC pilot study, Zandberg and his team tested a series of agricultural sprays on ripening grapes while mimicking wildfire conditions. One product didn’t have any impact and another actually soaked up more smoke molecules. Ultimately the researchers found that applying phospholipids to wine grapes one week before exposing them to smoke significantly reduced their levels of volatile phenols.

April Ehrlich is an editor and reporter at Oregon Public Broadcasting. Prior to joining OPB, she was a news host and regional reporter at Jefferson Public Radio.