The devastating impact of wildfires has grown to be a worldwide concern. In recent years, the most notable destructive wildfires were the 2023 Canadian wildfires and the 2020 Australian bushfires. The 2023 wildfire burned around 4% of Canada’s forest land, marking the largest forest loss in the nation’s recorded history. Meanwhile, the 2020 bushfires became Australia’s most costly wildfire disaster. While the visible destruction of wildfires often captures the media’s attention, there are less obvious effects that can be equally significant. One such impact is in agriculture, specifically vineyards. Smoke from wildfires contains compounds that pass through the grape skin, altering the flavor of the wine. These smoke compounds, called volatile phenols, produce smoky, ashy, and medicinal sensory attributes to the affected wine. Since many wine consumers dislike smoky characteristics in their wine, winemakers lose thousands of dollars from reduced sales. Combined with the physical damage to vineyards, wildfires lead to significant financial losses. For example, the wine industry was hit with an estimated loss of $3.7 billion from the 2020 wildfires alone.
As wildfires remain an annual destructive threat, the wine industry is in dire need of effective mitigation strategies to safeguard their grapes and wine. There are varying techniques currently being tested to reduce the impact of smoke in wine, but none have yet to produce low smoke tainted wine without altering desirable characteristics in the wine. A few mitigation techniques include using specific types of yeast and adding oak chips, both of which only mask the smoky flavors. Adding activated carbon does remove volatile phenols, but it also strips color and other desirable aromas in the wine.
My research at Oregon State University focuses on a novel approach to reduce the impact of smoke in wine. Under the guidance of my advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Tomasino, and in collaboration with Dr. Yanyun Zhao, we are developing and testing liquid films that can be sprayed onto grapes to prevent volatile phenols from entering the berry. When the liquid film dries, it serves as a protective barrier around the grape limiting volatile phenols from passing through the grape skin. This new technology will enable vignerons to utilize or market their smoke-exposed grapes instead of allowing them to go to waste.
To create a practical solution, new mitigation techniques must align with the needs of vignerons and winemakers. Thus, effectively communicating with them is essential to develop technology that can be applied in the wine industry. Through conversations with vignerons and winemakers, we learned that they prefer not to wash their grapes. As a result, our film needs to be edible, flavorless, and not alter the wine’s mouthfeel. Vignerons also expressed a preference for a product that could be applied with equipment they already own. Taking this into account, we tested spraying the liquid film using a backpack sprayer commonly used for spraying insecticides in vineyards.
Collaborating directly with vignerons and winemakers has made my research project incredibly rewarding, as I can directly see the potential positive impact these liquid films could have on the wine industry. Effectively communicating my research in a way vignerons and winemakers understand has been essential in fostering productive conversations. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to hone my science communication skills through the FFAR Fellows program. This program offered science communication workshops, including crafting a 3-minute thesis and presenting scientific research. Beyond science communication, FFAR also provided training to develop critical soft skills for career success, including interviewing techniques and strategies for navigating challenging conversations. I am deeply grateful for the resources and guidance the FFAR Fellows program has provided, as they have empowered me to become a well-rounded and accomplished professional in agriculture science.