Wildfire smoke contains hundreds of different volatile compounds. When grapevines are exposed to smoke, many of these compounds can accumulate in the grape berries. The volatile compounds are transported into the grapevine primarily through the waxy cuticle of the...
Smoke taint has become a prominent issue for the global wine industry as climate change continues to impact the length and extremity of fire seasons around the world. When grapevines are exposed to smoke, their leaves and fruit can adsorb volatile smoke compounds...
Goals: With increased wildfires in recent years, winemakers must be able to interpret analyses of smoke-related marker compounds to determine whether smoke intrusion has affected their wines. The goal of this study was to examine naturally-occurring, baseline...
Harvesting grapes from vines that have been exposed to bushfire smoke can result in wines containing smoke taint, described as “smoky, burnt and ash” aromas and “cigarette, ash tray, acrid and burnt” flavours. Aroma compounds enter the vine by absorbing onto the...
Smoke taint is strongly correlated with volatile phenols such as guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, eugenol, syringol and some cresols, to name a few. These phenols occur in two forms in final wines, a volatile form that can be smelled even before tasting a wine and a...
