Oregon Wineries Come Together To Save Grapes Rejected For Smoke Taint
Grape growers in southern Oregon thought they had already weathered one of the biggest challenges of the 2018 season — the Klondike Fire, which burned over 175,000 acres in July.
But on Sept. 22, they faced even more devastating news: Copper Cane Wines and Provisions, a Calif.-based winery that contracts with numerous growers in the region, canceled grape orders mere days before harvest was supposed to start, citing smoke taint.
"We were shocked," says grower Leon Pyle. "We knew that we had a lot of smoke, but it wasn't worse than the previous year, and the previous year's wine turned out just fine."
[...] Currently, research focuses on guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol — chemical compounds produced by fires — when assessing taint, but there are no set standards to determine what constitutes acceptable levels.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @05:34PM
Crank out the same tasting stuff year after year, because that's what people EXPECT
just like McDonalds
Some amazing tasting stuff can be made with native yeasts, too, but most wine makers
will never risk changing the taste of their products.