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Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Smoke Taint in 2020 Wines?

This is a year of widespread wildfires in California and much of the West. The fire season in the Wine Country started in earnest in August from lightning strikes and is still going strong, unfortunately. What's in store for this vintage? The quick answer is nobody is sure yet.

What is smoke taint?

In short, the wine tastes like a smoky campfire. You can read in-depth about smoke taint at Wine Spectator, "Understanding Smoke Taint in Wine."

Previous years with smoke taint

The first time I remember smoke taint in wine was in 2008 when there were spring lightning strike fires to the north of Sonoma in Mendocino County. A smoky haze hung over the area for much of June of that year. Northern Sonoma and Napa and especially Mendocino County were the most affected. Then in 2017 wildfires happened at harvest time. I haven't had a lot of wine from this vintage, but it seems smoke taint is hit-or-miss. A reputable vintner should not be selling you smoke tainted wine anyway. 

What affect might it have this year?

You can read about that here from from Food & Wine, "Do California Grapes Have Smoke Taint from Wildfires?"


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