Smoke Taint in Grapes: Origin of Volatile Compounds and Ozone Treatments
Prof. Fabio Mencarelli, former Full Professor of Enology at the University of Pisa, analyzes the smoke taint defect in grapes exposed to wildfires, examining the volatile compounds responsible for contamination and ozone treatment strategies for their removal.
This video was extracted from the masterclass on wine instabilities organised by Vinidea. You can access the full recordings at the following link:https://vinidea.it/en/product/wine-faults/
Technical Contents:
The presentation examines smoke taint in relation to increasingly frequent wildfires in major wine-producing regions worldwide. Analysis of the cooling effect of vine vegetation (3-4°C reduction in surrounding environment) that can protect vineyards from fire, and conditions under which this protection proves insufficient.
Responsible Compounds:
Study of the main volatile compounds determining smoke aroma in grapes: guaiacol, cresol (in different isomeric forms) and syringol.
Applied Research:
Presentation of early experiments on ozone use for removing volatile compounds from smoke taint-affected grapes, initiated approximately ten years ago in California (Napa Valley). International collaboration with Kerry Wilkinson (University of Adelaide), Laura Walter (UC Davis) and Washington State University researchers, all regions heavily affected by wildfires.
Italian Research:
Study conducted with the University of Adelaide using an ozone generator to simulate smoke contamination in field conditions and evaluate the effectiveness of ozone treatments on grapes under controlled conditions.
This video was extracted from the masterclass on wine instabilities organised by Vinidea. You can access the full recordings at the following link:https://vinidea.it/en/product/wine-faults/
