Protecting Wine From Wildfire

Can a simple spray protect grapes from wildfire smoke? That is the focus of new joint research by the University of California, Davis and the U.S. Department of Agriculture as California’s 88 billion dollar wine industry faces increasing wildfire threats.

USDA research chemist Arran Rumbaugh said, “Wildfire smoke exposure can lead to something called smoke taint in wines and this is an unfavorable sensory outcome in the wines themselves that relate to smoky, ashy flavors.”

This summer, researchers applied a calcium spray to cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay grapes at UC Davis during veraison and again two weeks later. The goal was to see whether calcium, known to strengthen grape skins and cell walls, could reduce smoke absorption. Some vines were intentionally exposed to smoke, while others served as controls.

Doctoral student Arpa Boghozian said, “Our hypothesis was that by applying calcium we could further thicken the grape skin cell wall and decreasing absorption of smoke into the grapes.”

Chemical and texture analyses are ongoing. For more, visit https://caes.ucdavis.edu/news/can-simple-spray-protect-grapes-wildfire-smoke