Will smoke from CA wildfires affect SLO County wines? Here’s how the harvest looks so far
San Luis Obispo County wineries say that smoke from the Northern California fires isn’t expected to impact local wines this year.
A group of North County winemakers shared their perspectives Wednesday as part of a seasonal forecast presented by Solterra Strategies, a wine and tourism marketing firm based in Paso Robles.
While the smoke meant parts of San Luis Obispo County had the worst air quality in the world during a few days in late August, winemakers said that those hazy skies likely won’t have a major impact on the quality of their grapes this year.
Brenda Baker operates Baker Wine and Grape Analysis, whose services include chemical analysis of wines. She said that there’s typically no significant effect when smoke travels more than a day from where it originated.
“Smoke or ash over 24 hours old doesn’t affect grapes and the smoke probably took 24 hours to get to our area” from Northern California, Baker said. “It’s bad news if they’re right next to fire.”
When grapes are closer to a fire, Baker said, the volatile organic molecules can impact wine by getting into the skin and then can get released upon fermentation or after bottling.
Molly Lonborg, a winemaker at Alta Colina in Paso Robles, said that the small winery has limited financial resources to identify smoke taint. But because the smoke was present for about five days, she added, she’s not too worried about it.
“I wasn’t worried for grapes yet, but if it were another five days we’d probably start testing,” Lonborg said.
Longborg said that local vineyards experienced smoke for about three weeks during the Chimney Fire near Lake Nacimiento in 2017.
“We tested vineyards high spots, low spots, and saw nothing coming through,” Longborg said. “We will find out once fermentation starts and we really start smelling (the aromas). Hopefully it doesn’t smell like a campfire.”
According to Sherman Thacher of Thacher Winery in Paso Robles, the smoke provided a cover for an expected heat wave, which helped provide desired more temperate conditions for the grapes, rather than a seven- to 10-day period of extreme heat over 100 degrees.
Anthony Yount, winemaker at Denner Vineyards in Paso Robles, said that wineries will have to come to grips with fires in California and how they may affect wines, citing a 2008 fire in Mendocino and ongoing blazes.
This year, Yount said, wines in Napa County may be affected by the Northern California fires.
“With future fires, there will be a scale of bad to not that bad,” Yount said. “(The smoky flavor) will range from an ash tray to subtle.”
“Wine is about a time and place,” he said, bringing up the idea that winemakers as a collective group “can talk about (wildfire smoke effects) in a positive light. It can be a selling point.”
Late rains helped flavor of SLO County grapes
Winemakers said that fruit flavors this year were helped by late rains.
Although San Luis Obispo County saw slightly lower than average rainfall totals overall, Kukkula Winery owner Kevin Jussila said showers after March 1 helped to keep the soil moist into the dry summer months.
Jussila said this year’s grapes thus far have produced “intense flavors and nice acidity.”
Winemakers are testing lower levels of brix, which measures sugar levels in wine grapes that help determine how much alcohol a wine will have.
“Our grapes are packing in a lot of flavor,” Thacher said. “We’re getting super fresh fruits and we’re enjoying that. ... It’s going to be a great year.”
Late seasonal showers and fairly moderate temperatures combined to create good growing conditions, winemakers said.
“Late rains were really helpful,” Yount said. “These have been some of the healthiest canopies I’ve seen in about a decade. ... We’re picking about a week earlier than expected.
“Flavors seem good, where I want them to be,” he added. “There’s quite a bit of freshness but there’s still a long way to go (in the harvest).”
The winemakers said they are bracing for an upcoming heat wave over the next week that could see temperatures top 110 degrees in some parts of the North County, which will more rapidly increase brix levels.
Several of the winemakers said that they started harvest last week and are now embarking on a busy period for picking.
Farmworker shifts are being staggered to slow the spread of coronavirus, they said, and wineries are following meticulous handwashing and face mask protocols.
Jussila said a family member of one of his workers contracted COVID-19, adding that he had all of his employees tested for the virus and the results were negative.
Jussila said that sales at his Paso Robles winery have increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Club memberships have also increased, he said.
“Business has been good,” Jussila said. “People are not going out as much. They’re stuck at home. When you’re stressed you drink a little more, I guess. ... Fortunately for us, we are the beneficiaries of high consumption of wine.”
Jussila also said that consumers of fine wines generally aren’t as affected by market fluctuations as other industries can be.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Will smoke from CA wildfires affect SLO County wines? Here’s how the harvest looks so far."
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