Fires in Western CO and Utah are choking my vineyard right now. I've only seen it this bad once before, in 2020.
That year, the timing saved me.
Same as back then, the smoke is thick right now, but the risk of taint is low. The grapes are still tiny and green. They don't really start absorbing smoke until veraison, when they turn red in August.
If the fire season drags into a smoky fall, there really isn't much I can do to protect the grapes on the vine.
In the cellar, the only ways to save a tainted red are more heavy-handed than I like and don't always work.
Luckily the taint mostly sits in the skins.
If the smoke gets bad this fall, I'll press the juice off the skins fast and make a rosé of Pinot Noir, dodging the worst of the taint.
That year, the timing saved me.
Same as back then, the smoke is thick right now, but the risk of taint is low. The grapes are still tiny and green. They don't really start absorbing smoke until veraison, when they turn red in August.
If the fire season drags into a smoky fall, there really isn't much I can do to protect the grapes on the vine.
In the cellar, the only ways to save a tainted red are more heavy-handed than I like and don't always work.
Luckily the taint mostly sits in the skins.
If the smoke gets bad this fall, I'll press the juice off the skins fast and make a rosé of Pinot Noir, dodging the worst of the taint.
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