Smoke gets in your vines

By Emma Sun
THE Coalition Government has allocated $4 million over four years to conduct cutting-edge research into the impact of smoke taint on wine production.
Following the loss of $100 million of grape and wine production in 2006-7 due to smoke taint, this move has been welcomed by both Evelyn MP Christine Fyffe and Yarra Valley Winegrowers Association CEO Richard Howden.
“If we get fires, it produces a lot of smoke which sits on the vines, particularly during growing season,” Mr Howden said.
“It can be very serious because the compound from the smoke gets taken up into the fruit and taints the wine, making it unusable.
“Here at the Yarra Valley we’ve been pushing very hard for the government to assist with this and it’s fantastic to see that they have.”
A centre for expertise will be based in Mildura.
Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh said the funding delivered on a key election promise to invest in research that would help protect winegrape growers against smoke taint.
“Smoke taint can pose a serious threat to Victoria’s grape and wine industries from both wildfires and fuel reduction burns,” Mr Walsh said.
“The $4 million research and development program will enhance our knowledge of how smoke impacts on wine and help with strategies to mitigate the risk of smoke taint.”
Ms Fyffe said any research is done into this issue would be crucial to both the wine industry and the region in the future.
“Knowing what when the vine is more likely absorb the smoke taint is important so we can calculate when it is best to do the burns,” she said.
“It’s like anything; you need to look at everything from everyone’s viewpoint. It’s essential we continue with fuel reduction burns but we also need to protect a very valuable industry in the Yarra Valley.”
The research will also determine the relative impacts of controlled burning and wildfires and predict the shelf-life of wines made from smoke exposed grapes.