Managing risk of smoke taint ​with continued learnings from 2020​

We’ve come a long way in our understanding of smoke taint since we started with smoke markers guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol in 2003. Mango Parker, AWRI’s smoke taint lead will recap the latest research and explain what it means for grape-growers and winemakers concerned about smoke in the vineyard. The webinar will cover the impacts on grapes exposed to pre-veraison smoke, similarities and differences between smoke-affected wines and those matured with oak contact, and review the performance of current smoke exposure markers to identify smoke exposure and predict smoke flavour in wine. Two large winemaking trials have now been completed with three years in the bottle, and the results have been summarised. Analysis of smoke markers in grapes can now be interpreted to flag the risk of producing smoky wine. This is essential for managing potentially smoke-affected grapes and wines, to avoid production of unsaleable smoke tainted wine while minimizing unnecessary crop losses.