Smoke, fire and vineyards: The active Glass Fire has destroyed dozens of buildings in the world-renowned Napa Valley 1/4
Other parts of Napa Valley are still recovering from one of California’s largest fires on record in August that damaged crops and blanketed the valley with thick smoke. “My crop insurance provider is dealing with 600 claims for smoke taint,” said Susan Meyer, owner of RustRidge Winery in Napa Valley.
“My crop is a total loss, both from the fire itself and the smoke that lingered for days. Many plants were burned by fire but others died from the heat exposure,” she said. Other winemakers went ahead with the harvest and will assess the wine as it develops. “We ferment the 2020 wines as normal, put them to barrel, taste them non-stop along the way, and then add the results of the lab analysis to our body of knowledge as we work to assess the wines,” said Beth Milliken, President and CEO of Spottswoode Winery in Napa Valley. In other areas it may be too early to fully assess the impact from this year’s fires, as many winemakers await the results of smoke testing from backlogged wine laboratories. Smoke taint occurs when smoke is absorbed into the plant and concentrates in the fruit, altering a grape’s chemistry, and ultimately its taste, leaving some wines with “ashtray aromas”.The compounds in the smoke can be absorbed by the skin of the grape, releasing some sugars resulting in a smoky flavor in the wine.The compounds in the smoke can be absorbed by the skin of the grape, releasing some sugars resulting in a smoky flavor in the wine.The compounds in the smoke can be absorbed by the skin of the grape, releasing some sugars resulting in a smoky flavor in the wine.The compounds in the smoke can be absorbed by the skin of the grape, releasing some sugars resulting in a smoky flavor in the wine. In the Atlas Peak appellation of Napa Valley, Elan winery is also dealing with the aftermath of the LNU Complex fire. Patrick Elliot-Smith, wine maker and owner of the family-run vineyard, told Reuters how he and his son stayed to defend the estate rather than evacuate in August, fighting fires over three days with water pumps and a box scraper on a tractor to cut fire breaks around the vineyard.The decision was made not to harvest any grapes this year or sell fruit to other winemakers due to smoke taint. “We cannot afford a bad vintage,” he said. The delays in lab results can be problematic for wine makers facing an imminent decision whether to harvest or not, according to Elliot-Smith.Gordon Burns, co-founder and technical director of ETS Laboratories, told Reuters it was far too early to speculate about the extent of impact on grapes in areas where smoke was persistent. “Every location is different, and smoke exposure may be transitory and as little as none at all. Any fire impacts will certainly not be to the entire vintage in any of the affected winegrowing regions,” he added. ETS is one of the country’s leading wine labs and is headquartered in Napa Valley. The lab is currently dealing with a backlog of smoke impact testing following this year’s fires. Last week, a notice on their website warned of a wait until November for new tests submitted.Grapevines are more sensitive to smoke uptake at different stages of the growing season. Research shows key periods of grapevine sensitivity, according to Western Australia’s Department of Agriculture and Food.If the berries are pea sized or entering the “veraison” phase, where grapes first begin to ripen.
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