December 2020 - 22

WSU to study winegrapes exposed to wildfires
By Lauren Paterson
Washington State University
Hazy, smoke-filled skies across the
West this fall made grape growers
nervous, but Washington State University
(WSU) grape and wine chemistry
researcher Tom Collins is working to
minimize the effects of smoke exposure
on winegrapes.
When vineyard grapes are exposed
to smoke, they can absorb tiny smoke
particles into their fruit, causing it to bind
with the sugars in the grapes. The grapes
can develop unsavory aromas and flavors,
causing wine to taste ashy or burned.
The wildfire smoke enveloping
Washington state in September gave
Collins a chance to measure the smoke
particulates in the vineyard air. He
sampled fruit from several vineyards,
both WSU research and commercial
vineyards, and will make wine from the
fruit to further his research in order to
develop mitigation techniques.
" We tend to think
smoke exposure is
always going to be
bad, but that's not
necessarily the case. "
- Tom Collins,
Washington State University
" We tend to think smoke exposure
is always going to be bad, but that's not
necessarily the case. Different variables
like proximity to fire, wind direction and
topography all play a role, " said Collins,
an assistant professor at the Ste. Michelle
Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center.
But sampling a grape is not enough
to test if wildfire smoke will alter the
taste of the final wine. Through the
Winegrapes from five Washington vineyards will be studied in order to mitigate the effects of smoke exposure. Photo: Washington State University
winemaking and aging process, sugar
bonds chemically break, releasing the
smoke-related compounds that create the
ashy flavors.
He said it's too early to tell how wildfire
smoke might affect Washington wines.
Collins' research on smoke exposure
started in 2016, initially funded by
the Washington Wine and Grape
Research program administered by the
Washington Wine Commission.
" It's an ongoing project that looks at
different aspects each year. In a year like
this when we have actual fires, we have
real world exposure that allows us to
test if what we see in our vineyard trials
is close to what we see with the wildfire
smoke exposure, " he said.
Collins also wants to understand if the
timing of smoke exposure affects grape
growth. He plans to present his most
recent research findings after the new year.
" If it happens earlier in the season,
does that affect grapes differently than if
it happens closer to harvest? These are
some of the questions we are trying to
answer, " he said.
As the second-largest premium wine
producer in the United States, Washington
is home to over 1,000 wineries, producing
over 17 million cases a year. The impact
of smoke on the Washington wine
industry could run into the millions of
dollars. Severe wildfires have increased in
frequency in the West since 2011.
This April, the U.S. Congress allocated
$2 million to the USDA to fund research
on smoke exposure, of which $900,000
was split evenly among WSU, the
University of California-Davis, and
Oregon State University.
The remaining amount retained by the
USDA will be used to establish a smoke
research program within the USDA's
Agricultural Research Service.
Industry leaders from winegrowing
associations in all three coastal states
formed the West Coast Smoke Exposure
Task Force, of which Tom Collins is a
member.
" We are working on everything
from research and contracts to risk
management and crop insurance, "
Collins said. FGN
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December 2020

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