Many consumers like smoke-impacted wines, study shows

The results of a new study offer hope to winemakers struggling after wildfires.

Wildfire smoke may not be as devastating to wine grapes as previously believed, after researchers found that many consumers enjoy a smoky wine.

A new study from researchers at Oregon State University and in New Zealand found that many people are open to drinking smoke-impacted wines, presenting new market opportunities for winemakers in regions battling more frequent fires.

Researchers examined consumer sentiments about smoke-impacted wines for the study published in the journal Food Research International. Elizabeth Tomasino, a professor of enology at Oregon State, and Jenna Fryer, a doctoral student in her lab, sent both smoke-impacted and non-smoke-impacted wines produced from Oregon pinot noir grapes to New Zealand.

Researchers recruited 197 participants for the study in New Zealand, where winemaking has not been significantly impacted by wildfire. Among the participants, 110 liked the smoke-impacted wine, versus 87 who did not.

“This research provides vital information for the wine industry,” Tomasino said in a statement. “It demonstrates that with certain wine drinkers there is a potential market for these smoke-impacted wines.”

The taste-testers scored the wines on a nine-point scale, and the smoke-liking group gave the smoke-impacted wine an average score of 6.86, while the smoke-disliking group gave an average score of 3.26.

But when the wines were labeled as being impacted by smoke, the smoke-dislikers increased their average score from 3.26 to just over five on the nine-point scale. The added labels didn't have a significant impact on the smoke-likers, whose scores remained well above six.

The findings indicate not only that some consumers genuinely enjoy smoke-impacted wines, but that labeling a wine as being smoke-impacted can make even smoke-dislikers more open to trying it.

“Our findings indicate that there is more forgiveness among consumers for these smokey wines than winemakers think,” Tomasino said. “It seems winemakers have a lot more options if they want to sell wine made with these grapes.”

Along with marketing smoke-impacted wines directly to those who enjoy them, winemakers may also be able blend smoke-impacted and non-impacted wines. Researchers say the next step is to recruit tasting panels from across the United States to see if consumers report similar sentiments.

After the 2020 wildfires on the West Coast of the United States, an economic analysis found the wine industry lost up to $3.7 billion. Following the 2020 fires, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a $7.76 million research grant to a team led by Oregon State scientists to study the impact of smoke on wine.

As part of that research, along with the latest study, they discovered a class of compounds linked to smoke's impact on grapes, and developed spray-on coatings that have "shown promise" in preventing off flavors caused by smoke exposure.

Reporting by TMX

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