Washington State’s Betz Family Winery said it won’t be releasing a 2020 vintage due to smoke taint caused by last year’s wildfires. It also announced its sister winery in Oregon, SUNU Wines, would not be releasing a 2020 vintage either.
“Through rigorous sensory evaluation our team has identified varying levels of smoke taint in our 2020 wines,” said Betz Family’s owners, Steve and Bridgit Griessel. “We later confirmed that analysis through extensive laboratory testing as well. While the intensity varied from vineyard to vineyard and barrel to barrel, ultimately all lots showed some impact.”
“As you can imagine, this was an absolutely brutal decision,” the Griessels said. “Our team has been hopeful since harvest that certain lots might be salvageable, but after countless hours of evaluation, we believed this was our only option. The idea that we would release any wine that we had reservations about, or that a wine we released might start to develop deepening smoke taint indicators post-bottling, was something we just couldn’t stomach. In the end, our commitment to quality is paramount and something we cannot compromise.”
Last year was challenging for West Coast winemakers as fires raged through California, Oregon, and Washington, blanketing many vineyards with smoke and ash. This created the danger of “smoke taint,” an infrequent but severe hazard for fine wine grapes that can lead to a wide spectrum of sensory effects: ashy/smoky aromas, disrupted/masked flavors, or harsh, austere textures. These flaws can range from barely perceptible to severely off-putting and can stay latent in barrel or bottle for months, sometimes even years, before revealing their full impact.
Not much is known about the exact mechanisms of smoke taint. Researchers at both Washington State University and UC Davis are working hand-in-hand with wineries and growers to learn more about how smoke taint develops, what can be done to protect vineyards that might be exposed to wildfire particulates, and how to mitigate the damage once the exposure has happened.
Currently, there is no insurance available for damage or loss due to smoke/ash exposure in wine. Wineries and growers bear the full brunt of the financial impact, a very difficult proposition for small producers, many of whom are currently wrestling with the impact of the 2020 fires.