Posted on 09/29/2020 3:04:11 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Smoke from the West Coast wildfires has tainted grapes in some of the nation’s most celebrated wine regions with an ashy flavor that could spell disaster for the 2020 vintage.
Wineries in California, Oregon and Washington have survived severe wildfires before, but the smoke from this year’s blazes has been especially bad — thick enough to obscure vineyards drooping with clusters of grapes almost ready for harvest. Day after day, some West Coast cities endured some of the worst air quality in the world.
No one knows the extent of the smoke damage to the crop, and growers are trying to assess the severity. If tainted grapes are made into wine without steps to minimize the harm or weed out the damaged fruit, the result could be wine so bad that it cannot be marketed.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
Wineries in the rest of the country generally blend their grapes with Western grapes....
The vast majority of the U.S. grape production takes place in California. In 2019, 6.48 million tons of grapes were grown in California. In contrast, Washington, the second biggest producer of grapes, only grew about 391 thousand tons of grapes in that same year.
So...you are wrong.
“Burning Newsome”....might be right...for a new wine.
Maybe they can add the smell of bacon.
LOL!
I, for one, have had more than enough of the “fruity” flavor.
Smoked might be an improvement, though less favorable than “heavily oaked”.
Bring the wines on and we’ll see.
Who knew?
“Definition of pellucid
1 : admitting maximum passage of light without diffusion or distortion a pellucid stream
“
bttt
That isn’t true—that the grapes in Napa are “mostly for show.” Some of the best grapes in the world grow in Napa. Lots of great estate grapes. Not this year apparently. I’m in Napa wine tasting all the time (my hobby when I’m not freeping.)
I didn’t think one could still use the term “ashy”...
Dog whistle!!!
It may not rain before harvest. Harvest is October. In CA we often don’t get any rain from March until November (one reason for the fires—as Trump says, as dry as a matchstick
Luckily vineyards often act as a firebreak
The vines you see are almost always for show.
I have worked in Sonoma Napa and Mendocino, that is absurd. They do buy some grapes from out of the region but the ones in those vineyards are absolutely not for show.
I’ve had trumps sparking wine (drank it on his Inauguration Day)—not too bad. His other wines were...bad. Too humid for wine to be excellent in VA. Need a 40 or even 50 degree difference between night and day temps ideally. And a Mediterranean climate
freedumb2003 didn’t say the grapes in Napa & Sonoma were for show, he said the vines at wineries were mostly for show. I grew up in the Napa Valley - I know a lot of winery people, vineyard families, and vineyard management folk. Some wineries have no real vineyards of their own - they buy grapes from local growers. Some wineries own acres of vineyards but also buy grapes from local growers. A few wineries use only their own grapes.
Long’s it don’t do nuffin’ to Maddog I be fine.
There are some types of molds that get on grapes that make delicious wine; others make for bad wine. A smoky component in the grapes might not be bad. Some wines are aged in barrels made of toasted oak which imparts a smoky aroma/taste to the wine.
A friend of mine who started a winery in Napa Valley started out growing his own grapes. But eventually he shut that part down and started buying grapes.
Anyway, his winery is located between St. Helena and Calistoga right in the middle of the Glass Fire.
I haven't talked to him in a couple of months so I have no idea how he's doing with the fire. I'm afraid to call and ask.
Might be the best thing that ever happened to their grapes. A smoky flavor sounds magnificent.
I know someone who was evacuated over the weekend. She may lose her buildings and vineyard.
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