Do California Grapes Have Smoke Taint from Wildfires?

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Last month, as wildfires once again tore through California wine country, the immediate concern was protecting people’s lives and property (even if some Bud Light had to be sacrificed in the process). But as the smoke proverbially settles, vineyards and wineries have to deal with the impact these fires had on the winemaking business, and now smoke is a literal concern.

A major difference in this year’s fires compared to other recent disasters in the area is that they arrived earlier in the growing season, meaning more grapes were still unharvested on the vine, increasing concerns over smoke taint—the unwanted flavors that grapes exposed to smoke can impart into finished wine. For vineyards that produce their own wine, worries about smoke taint can lead to the daunting choice of whether to use fruit or not. But the issue becomes even more complicated for growers that sell their grapes to outside winemakers if those producers attempt to reject potentially tainted fruit.

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