292: Why Wildfire Smoke Taint in Wine Intensifies as it Ages with Dr. Wes Zandberg

Unreserved Wine Talk

Should we, as consumers, be concerned about buying wines from regions which have experienced wildfires? Why does smoke taint intensify as a wine ages? How can wineries mitigate the risk of producing smoke-tainted wine?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with researcher Wes Zandberg.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks

Highlights

Why does smoke taint show up differently in different wines despite the same level of exposure of the grapes?

How can wineries mitigate the risk of producing smoke-tainted wine?

Is there a health risk associated with wine made from smoke-exposed grapes?

Why does smoke taint intensify with wine aging?

Why does the perception of smoke taint become stronger with every sip?

What are some similarities and differences between wildfire smoke exposure and the smoky aromas achieved with oak barrels?

Are some grape varieties more susceptible to smoke taint than others?

What are some of the main challenges in researching the effects of smoke exposure on wine?

Were there differences between the wildfires in BC, California, and Australia wine country?

Where is the current research focus for prevention and mitigation of smoke taint?

How would routine testing of grapes in vineyards help researchers establish benchmarks for risk assessment?

How could understanding more about the terroir of the air positively impact the wine industry?

Key Takeaways

Just because a wine region is experiencing wildfires or even smoke drift from fires farther away, it doesn’t mean that the wine will be tainted.

Smoke taint gets worse as wine ages because the wine develops new, more subtle tertiary aroma compounds which may be bolder.

Australia has pioneered techniques such as making Rosé that’s not fermented on skins where the taint is. Smoke taint is less problematic for white wine because it too isn't fermented on skins.

Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live

Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wed at 7 pm ET on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video.

I want to hear from you! What’s your opinion of what we’re discussing? What takeaways or tips do you love most from this chat? What questions do you have that we didn’t answer?

Want to know when we go live? Add this to your calendar: https://www.addevent.com/calendar/CB262621

About Wes Zandberg

Before beginning his independent research career at The University of British Columbia (2015), Wes earned a PhD in chemistry at Simon Fraser University with Prof. B. Mario Pinto. Wes loved the rainy Fraser Valley so much that he remained at SFU, completing his post-doctoral research with Prof. David Vocadlo. This training instilled in Wes a fascination for glycoscience as well as a realization that the study of the structures/functions of carbohydrates (i.e. glycoscience) was—and still is—impeded by a dearth of suitable analytical tools and methods. Now, students in Wes’ lab at devise glyco-analytical methods that actually work for real samples rather than off-the-shelf model systems.

To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/292.