Wildfire smoke’s impact on wine topic of next Oregon State Science Pub talk

Feb. 2, 2022

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The impact of wildfire smoke on wine and grapes will be the topic of Oregon State University’s Science Pub on Feb. 14.

The virtual event, a joint effort of Oregon State University in Corvallis and OSU-Cascades in Bend, will feature Cole Cerrato, a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State. His presentation is titled: “Clearing the haze around wildfire smoke’s impact on wine: the chemistry of smoke-affected wine.”

In recent years, wine vintners in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and along the West Coast have increasingly had to consider potential impacts to wine quality due to the overwhelming presence of wildfire smoke. Unlike other crops, wine grapes are particularly sensitive to wildfire smoke, often acquiring burnt, ashy or campfire-like sensory characteristics after fermentation.

Researchers at Oregon State, including Cerrato, have been investigating which chemicals in smoke have the greatest impact in wine and how best to mitigate the off-flavor characteristics of smoked-affected wine.

During his Science Pub talk, Cerrato will provide some background about wine chemistry, give a demonstration of how to drink wine to best sense flavor and aroma characteristics, and describe his research with Elizabeth Tomasino, an associate professor of enology at Oregon State, on smoke-affected wine.

The free Science Pub will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The event will be broadcast on YouTube Live. Registration is required and can be completed at https://beav.es/wik.

Sponsors of Science Pub include the OSU Office of Research, OSU-Cascades in Bend and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

College of Agricultural Sciences

About the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences: Through its world-class research on agriculture and food systems, natural resource management, rural economic development and human health, the College provides solutions to Oregon’s most pressing challenges and contributes to a sustainable environment and a prosperous future for Oregonians.

Story By

Sean Nealon, 541-737-0787, [email protected]

Source

Cole Cerrato, [email protected]

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