Development and Utilization of a Model System to Evaluate the Potential of Surface Coatings for Protecting Grapes from Volatile Phenols Implicated in Smoke Taint.

Due to the increasing frequency of wildfires in recent years, there is a strong need for developing mitigation strategies to manage the impact of smoke exposure of vines and occurrence of 'smoke taint' in wine. One plausible approach would be to prevent or inhibit the uptake of volatile phenols from smoke into grape berries in the vineyard. In this study we describe a model system we developed for evaluating under controlled conditions the effectiveness of a range of surface coatings (including existing horticultural sprays) for reducing/preventing the uptake of volatile phenols and their subsequent conversion to phenolic glycosides.

Compositional Changes in Smoke-Affected Grape Juice as a Consequence of Activated Carbon Treatment and the Impact on Phenolic Compounds and Smoke Flavor in Wine.

An increase in bushfires and wildfires globally and consequent smoke exposure of grapevines has seen an elevated need for remediation options to manage the impact of smoke taint in the wine industry. Two commercially available activated carbons (PS1300 and CASPF) were evaluated at 1, 2, and 4 g/L with juice from smoke-affected Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. PS1300 and CASPF treatments removed up to 75 and 92% of the phenolic glycosides in the smoke-affected Pinot Noir rosé juice, respectively, and both carbons removed virtually all (i.