West Coast vineyards lost billions of dollars in 2020 when wildfire smoke made wine taste like an ashtray. But what if some people were looking for that flavor all along?
That’s a question researchers in neighboring Oregon set out to discover, and they hit on a surprising result: There’s a potential customer base for smoke-impacted wine.
“Our findings indicate that there is more forgiveness among consumers for these smoky wines than winemakers think,” said Elizabeth Tomasino, an Oregon State University enology professor who conducted tastings of Oregon pinot noir with 197 willing subjects in New Zealand.
Advertisement
“It seems winemakers have a lot more options if they want to sell wine made with these grapes,” Tomasino said.
