Oregon State University researcher Cole Cerrato, left, and graduate student Lindsay Garcia prepare to send smoke from a small grill onto a row of wine grapes at the university's vineyard near Alpine, Ore., on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023.
The risk to America's premier wine-making regions — where wildfires caused billions of dollars in losses in 2020 — is growing, with climate change deepening drought and overgrown forests becoming tinderboxes. According to the Previously, grapes exposed to smoke in the MacGyvered setup were made into wine by Elizabeth Tomasino, an associate professor leading Oregon State's efforts, and her researchers.
Wine made with tainted grapes can be so awful that it can't be marketed. If it does go on shelves, a winemaker's reputation could be ruined — a risk that few are willing to take. Between 165,000 to 325,000 tons of California wine grapes were left to wither on the vine in 2020 due to actual or perceived wildfire smoke exposure, said Natalie Collins, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers.