Scientists have identified compounds that give wine a smoky flavor from grapes grown near wildfires. In this respect informs Oregon State University.
Forest fires pose a serious threat to wineries because constant exposure to smoke degrades the quality and value of grapes and adversely affects the taste of wine. With the frequency and exacerbation of fires in recent years, scientists are looking for ways to solve this problem. To do this, it is necessary at least to understand what is the reason for such a change in taste. Changes in taste and aroma are traditionally attributed to volatile phenols, but research has shown that this is not the case: for example, wines high in these compounds often do not smell smoky, while wines low in them smell smoky.
In a new study, Elizabeth Tomasino and her colleagues sought to find out what causes such a change in taste. Last year, they found sulfur-containing thiophenols in “smoky” wines that have a “roasted” or “meaty” scent, but no evidence that these are associated with fire exposure. So the scientists built a greenhouse-like structure, placed it on a vine and exposed the vine to smoke. In addition, the authors collected these grapes and made wine from it.
Wines made by the researchers were sent to Tom Collins, an assistant professor at the Washington State Center for Wine Science. It confirmed the presence of thiophenols in smoke-exposed wines from Oregon vineyards and not in smoke-exposed controls.
In this way, scientists have proven that the quality of grapes can be tested chemically. In addition, potential substances of this group can be removed from the wine during processing.
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