{"id":3857,"date":"2020-05-23T10:19:51","date_gmt":"2020-05-23T14:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/blog\/?p=3857"},"modified":"2021-11-19T13:08:03","modified_gmt":"2021-11-19T18:08:03","slug":"wildfire-smoke-taint-is-the-bbq-cooks-umami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smokinlicious.com\/blog\/wildfire-smoke-taint-is-the-bbq-cooks-umami\/","title":{"rendered":"WILDFIRE SMOKE TAINT IS THE BBQ COOK\u2019S UMAMI"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WILDFIRE SMOKE TAINT grapes may add some bold tastes<\/p><\/div>\n

WILDFIRE SMOKE TAINT IS THE BBQ COOK\u2019S UMAMI<\/h2>\n

Summary:<\/h4>\n

The Wine Spectator article has us thinking how Wildfire Smoke taint grapes can make smoke taint in wine! Think what a smoke taint wine with a smoky taste can do for your Barbecue sauces! These vineyard grapes caught in the California wildfires by the traveling smoke can add some smoky boldness to our cooking!<\/p>\n

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I came across a fascinating article in Wine Spectator<\/em><\/strong> (June 15, 2018) that made me salivate.\u00a0 The article focused on the wildfires of California, specifically Northern California, in October 2017 that had vineyards struggling with grapes that had not yet been harvested for wine production and were exposed to the fire\u2019s smoke.<\/p>\n

Smoke taint<\/em>.\u00a0 That is the smoky flavors grapes will pick up from traveling smoke gases and particles that become airborne with the wind.\u00a0 Even if a vineyard did not experience the fire directly, it can be affected by the traveling smoke.\u00a0 That is the key though: a vineyard may or may not contain smoke taint in the grapes.<\/p>\n

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Lab Research<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

There were many California wineries that sent grape and juice samples to labs for analysis to determine if compounds indicative of smoke exposure existed (probability is said to be 70% with testing).\u00a0 Specifically, they test for the primary volatile phenols present in smoke.\u00a0 This research and technique have its base in extensive research done in Australia who experience bushfires more commonly than Californians experience wildfires.<\/p>\n

If these volatile phenols are found in the sample, this means the waxy cuticle of the grape skin absorbed the compounds forming glycosides.\u00a0 At this stage, the phenols are not detectable by smell or taste.\u00a0 Once the fermentation begins, the acids break down the bond making the phenols volatile again.\u00a0 Additionally, our own mouths can breakdown remaining glycosides releasing the smoky flavors when the wines are consumed.<\/p>\n

What to Do<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Though there is a risk to white wines, these tend to be less susceptible to smoke taint since most are not fermented on their skins.\u00a0\u00a0 Wines fermenting in tanks and barrels during the fires also appear protected by the layer of carbon dioxide that forms.<\/p>\n

For those wines found to have the smoke taint, the vineyard is faced with options:<\/p>\n