Working with fruit exposed to smoke

Forest fires and exposure of grapes to smoke has become a major winemaking issue. Wines that are ‘smoke tainted’ receive negative comments from both winemakers and consumers, such as smoky, burnt, campfire, and ashtray. The key compounds responsible for the aromas are volatile phenols, guaiacol, 4-methyl-guaiacol, and many others, and are found on the outer (cuticle) layer of the grape. There are a number of winemaking techniques that can be used to mitigate the effects of smoke character in wines, and these are more valuable when used in combination.