Smoke taint worries at grape harvest

UPDATE 10/11/2016 6:30 PM:

As KION first reported in July, one of the concerns with the ongoing Soberanes Fire is the smoke that could affect one of Monterey County’s biggest agriculture crops – wine grapes. Now that harvesting is well underway, KION checked back in with producers about this year’s crops.

After a prolonged period of time in smoky conditions, smoke taint can affect wine grapes, changing the flavor to something similar to wet cigarette ashes.

It seems as though vineyards in the Salinas Valley have been spared.

“We’re testing grapes up and down the Salinas Valley and testing for a chemical compound that causes the smoke taint,” said Paul Clifton, director of wine making for Hahn’s Family Wines. “Thankfully we have these great northwesterly winds that blow through the Salinas Valley every day, and it kept the smoke clear from us. Our grapes came out clean. We’re really excited for this vintage. It was definitely nerve-wracking though.”

But not all producers were so fortunate. The Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association knows of at least two vineyards in the Carmel Valley and Cachagua areas that are letting their fruit drop because it’s damaged by smoke taint.

One of them is Galante Vineyards. Jack Galante said he’s facing a massive loss this year because 90 percent of his crops are damaged. While his white wine grapes are faring better, the cabernet, merlot, and petit Syrah grapes are in trouble.

There are ways in the production line where smoke taint can be treated. Galante did not want to compromise the quality of his wine, so will take the loss and look forward to next year.

“Grape growing is farming and farming is a risky business,” said Kim Stemler, executive director of the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association. “So when it’s good, it’s good and when the weather’s bad or there’s a fire, you can lose your whole years’ worth of effort. Thankfully none of them lost their vines that’s many years’ worth of effort. And the vineyards will recover next year and be fine. There will be no effect.”

Shoppers may not notice a difference the next time they visit store shelves. Some of the affected growers buy their grapes from the Santa Lucia Highlands or Arroyo Seco and are still able to produce wines. They may have a difficult time finding certain estate vintages.

As for this year’s crops, Stemler said it’s returning to an average year because of average weather conditions. It’s something Clifton has noticed as well.

“We came off of 2014 which is one of the biggest years that we ever had,” Clifton said. “2015 which was the lightest year we’ve ever had and 2016 was right in the middle. We’ve had a great growing season other than the fire, but like I said, we lucked out with the fire.”

ORIGINAL POST:

As grapes go to harvest, a wine industry official says at least two Monterey County vineyards have suffered smoke taint damage from the Soberanes Fire. Smoke taint affects the growth and quality of grapes.

According to Kim Stemler, CEO of the Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association, grapes from at least two Carmel Valley vineyards show damage and there may be more.

Since the start of the Soberanes Fire in July, wine growers in Carmel Valley and the Santa Lucia Highlands have known that smoke taint posed a threat to their vineyards. Some tested their grapes throughout the summer, but the extent of any damage isn’t often known until harvest.

Tonight on KION 5/46, Mariana Hicks learns what wine growers are finding as they pick and process their grapes.