Smoke from summer wildfires may or may not have impacted the fall grape crop, but proving that the fruit is clean is a problem that is disrupting the market. Smoke taint is a real thing in the wine world, it can infuse vintages with a barbecuelike flavor that is not on brand with a winery's product year to year. So before winemakers can commit to buying grapes from a region impacted by smoke, they need to know the fruit is clean and it is not a ruling they can make based on proximity to a fire."There could be one vineyard right next to another vineyard, and one vineyard might have some smoke exposure impacts on the grapes, and the vineyard right next to it might not," said Kim Stemler with the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association.Stemler said the only indisputable way to prove you don't have smoke taint is to test the grapes at a certified lab. The problem is there is only one such lab in the United States, and record wildfires across the West Coast have created a long line of growers trying to get their fruit in to be tested."We do not have the testing infrastructure set up to manage this amount of testing," said Stemler.California alone grows 92% of the wine grapes in the country and in the absence of testing, wineries are dropping purchasing contracts.Growers in Monterey County have been turning to labs in Australia and New Zealand, where even with shipping delays, the testing results are coming in faster.Complicating matters even further is crop insurance, which mandates crops do not leave property if they cannot be sold in order for growers to receive compensation. Stemler said wineries, insurance companies and growers are trying to work together, but it has been a frustrating end to what what was on track to be a spectacular season."It is a stellar year here, it is a stellar year throughout the state, so there will be some 2020 wine but it is not going to be nearly the volume that we have seen in the past," said Stemler.Consumers are not likely to see an increase in the price of wine and that is because wineries like to keep product pricing consistent.
Smoke from summer wildfires may or may not have impacted the fall grape crop, but proving that the fruit is clean is a problem that is disrupting the market.
Smoke taint is a real thing in the wine world, it can infuse vintages with a barbecuelike flavor that is not on brand with a winery's product year to year. So before winemakers can commit to buying grapes from a region impacted by smoke, they need to know the fruit is clean and it is not a ruling they can make based on proximity to a fire.
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"There could be one vineyard right next to another vineyard, and one vineyard might have some smoke exposure impacts on the grapes, and the vineyard right next to it might not," said Kim Stemler with the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association.
Stemler said the only indisputable way to prove you don't have smoke taint is to test the grapes at a certified lab. The problem is there is only one such lab in the United States, and record wildfires across the West Coast have created a long line of growers trying to get their fruit in to be tested.
"We do not have the testing infrastructure set up to manage this amount of testing," said Stemler.
California alone grows 92% of the wine grapes in the country and in the absence of testing, wineries are dropping purchasing contracts.
Growers in Monterey County have been turning to labs in Australia and New Zealand, where even with shipping delays, the testing results are coming in faster.
Complicating matters even further is crop insurance, which mandates crops do not leave property if they cannot be sold in order for growers to receive compensation. Stemler said wineries, insurance companies and growers are trying to work together, but it has been a frustrating end to what what was on track to be a spectacular season.
"It is a stellar year here, it is a stellar year throughout the state, so there will be some 2020 wine but it is not going to be nearly the volume that we have seen in the past," said Stemler.
Consumers are not likely to see an increase in the price of wine and that is because wineries like to keep product pricing consistent.
October 14, 2020 at 06:31AM
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Summer wildfire smoke impacting fall grape crop - KSBW Monterey
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