Thinking Inside the Box: A Novel Approach to Smoke Taint Mitigation Trials

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Food Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Bushfires near vineyards cause smoke taint in grapes, imparting undesirable flavors to wine.
• Research focus has shifted from understanding smoke effects to developing mitigation strategies for smoke taint.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a reproducible method for inducing smoke taint in excised grape bunches.
• To assess the efficacy of various protective methods against smoke taint.

Main Methods:

• Excised grape bunches were exposed to smoke in a purpose-built 'smoke box' for reproducible taint induction.
• The volatile phenol composition of smoke-exposed grapes was analyzed.
• Agrochemical sprays and activated carbon fabric coverings were tested for their protective capabilities.

Main Results:

• The 'smoke box' method produced volatile phenol profiles similar to field-trial smoke-affected grapes.
• Agrochemical sprays were ineffective in protecting grapes from smoke taint.
• Activated carbon fabric coverings prevented the uptake of up to 98% of smoke-derived volatile phenols.

Conclusions:

• The 'smoke box' provides a convenient and efficient method for smoke taint research, overcoming field trial limitations.
• Activated carbon fabric presents a highly effective strategy for preventing smoke taint in grapes.