Where do you think this picture was taken?
No. It's not Mars. And it's not a scene from an apocalyptic movie.
It's Oregon. We shot this video 20 minutes East of Portland driving onto US26. This smoke cloud covers the entire Portland Metro area and stretches at least 80 miles south along the I-5 highway.
Ever Heard of Megafire?
The U.S. Interagency Fire Center defines a megafire by its size: a wildfire that burns more than 100,000 acres of land. As bad as single megafire is, the situation in Oregon is even worse.
From 1900 through 1999, Oregon had 9 Mega Fires.
From 2000 through 2019, there were 11.
Within 72 HOURS from September 6th, Oregon got FOUR megafires. Some of these fires turned into Megas within 24 hours. At this point, Oregon doesn't have enough resources to fight them all.
The Chehalem Mountain Fire creeps downhill but mostly away from town. @yamcowatchnow #YamhillCounty #newbergoregon @KGWNews pic.twitter.com/KCORrmeDrH
— Tom Fuller (@thomasefuller) September 9, 2020
Oregon Wildfires, Smoke, Grapes, and Wine
You might ask what these fires have to do with wine?
As you read this article, an eerie smoke cloud hovers over the Oregon wine industry's jam, the Willamette Valley. It's the place where some of the best American and world-class Pinot Noir comes from.
We never thought this could happen here when we watched fires raging in California wine country a few years in a row! We thought Southern Oregon is more prone to this problem due to its hotter climate and proximity to California. Yet unimaginable happened.
Now Willamette Valley wineries are under a real threat. There are active fires not just north and south of the region but in the valley itself. Chehalem Mountain - Bald Peak fire is only 10 miles away from Newberg, the unofficial capital of the Willamette Valley, Dundee, the most prestigious AVA of the region, and one of our favorites Yamhill-Carlton AVA.
At the time of this writing, the Chehalem Mountain - Bald Peak fire was relatively small (2,000 acres) compared to the conflagrations destroying forestland and communities across Oregon. According to Fire Marshalls, the risk is low for the vineyards. Still, fire is only partially uncontrolled, and it might take a small shift in wind direction to devastate the vineyards.
Oregon Wildfires: From Bad To Worse
2020 is like a Series of Unfortunate Events for Oregon wineries. It seems to be going from bad to worst. First, a pandemic shot the tasting rooms and virtually sales of wine for many wineries. Some only sold wine through their tasting rooms before. Then cold late spring and summer delayed blooming and véraison (ripening, change of color). Finally, when hot weather came with a good, if not excellent, vintage promise, fires came along.
Where There's Smoke, There's Fire
Hopefully, fires won't touch the vineyards. Still, the smoke in the air has the potential to contaminate grapes for many. As a result, the wines may develop what's called smoke taint.
We may enjoy pleasant smokiness in barrel-aged wines, but this is a different kind of smoke.
It can be described as campfire, bacon, burned rubber, disinfectant, or the sensation of licking an ashtray. Sometimes smoke taint may not be apparent on the nose and only come through on the palate. You'll know it when you tasted it.
How Smoke Gets into Wine
Smoke is like an evil Genie, and it takes some natural magic to get into a bottle. We can always tell when the wood is burning because it has distinct aroma compounds called volatile phenols in scientific jargon.
As the smoke gets into a vineyard, it leaves a residue of those compounds on the grapes. Then volatile phenols start their bad work called glycosylation. They permeate the berries skins, quickly bind with sugars inside, and form molecules called glycosides.
Then, paraphrasing Charles Baudelaire, volatile phenols pull the devil's finest trick by persuading that they do not exist. They can no longer be detected either by smell or taste.
However, they come out during the fermentation when sugars are consumed by the yeast, thus releasing volatile phenols from their bond.
That's how an evil Genie gets in a wine bottle and spoils all the fun.
Buy or Not to Buy Oregon Wines 2020
It's too early to tell because the situation is still developing. A specific vineyard location will play a significant role.
According to the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), the authority on smoke taint research, the impact is directly correlated to the growth state the vine is in. The potential for the smoke uptake is the highest leading up to harvest.
Another important risk factor is the length of exposure and density of the smoke. Based on AWRI research, a single heavy smoke exposure for 30 minutes at the pre-harvest stage was enough to create smoke-related aromas and flavors in the wine. Even at lower smoke densities, longer duration of exposure can have a similar effect.
At this point, all factors place Oregon vineyards in the highest risk category. All Oregon wineries are in the post-véraison stage, and some started the harvest of a few varietals. The smoke is likely to affect the majority of vineyards of Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon.
The impact will vary depending on site geographical features (hills and valleys), distance from the fire, the length of exposure, grape varietal, winemaking techniques, time of harvest, etc. For example, in Southern Oregon, Del Rio Vineyards already picked a couple of white grapes before the fires. We learned it when we were there on September 6th.
There are things that vintners can do during smokey harvest to minimize smoke exposure, and techniques winemakers can apply during vinification to negate the smoke impact.
Moreover, winemakers can test grapes close to harvest for two most common volatile phenols such as guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol, the most common smoke taint markers. They can also make a small batch of wine to check if smoke compounds are coming through. Both help to determine the fruit's viability ahead of time. Some smoke taint levels are manageable and can be vinified to minimize the impact of smoke. But sometimes it's too much, and the winemaker can decide to let the fruit hang because they don't want to ruin their reputation and alienate the customer base.
We got to know many Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon winemakers. Most are very experienced winemakers who value their reputation and customers. Smoke is nothing new for the winemaker who worked in other wine regions, has formal education and multiple vintages under his or her belt. We have confidence that they rather skip a vintage then make subpar wine.
We would be more cautious if the wine comes from a newer winemaker or urban winery. They are less likely to have control over the grape's quality and experience to overcome vintage challenges such as 2020.
So when you see the 2020 vintage of Oregon wines, it's safe to buy, especially if it's a well-respected producer. If you have an option to taste before you buy, by all means, do and follow your palate. There are many fantastic wines produced in Oregon between 2014 and 2018.
Keep following us for updates on the 2020 vintage in Oregon and Washington.
