Dousing a danger to wine industry

Cerrato (left) and graduate student Lindsay Garcia preparing to send smoke from a small grill onto a row of wine grapes at the Oregon State University’s vineyard near Alpine, Oregon. — AP

THE US West Coast produces over 90% of America’s wine, but the region is also prone to wildfires – a combustible combination that spelled disaster for the industry in 2020 and one that scientists are scrambling to neutralise.

Sample a good wine and you might get notes of oak or red fruit. But sip on wine made from grapes that were penetrated by smoke, and it could taste like someone dumped the contents of an ashtray into your glass.