Sep 25, 2024

Wine industry smoke exposure website introduced

A wine industry smoke exposure website has been introduced.

The West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force (WCSETF) has launched its new website spreading information about smoke exposure.

The site, wcsetf.org, houses critical information on smoke exposure for winegrowers, winemakers and others in the wine industry. The site was publicized by the Washington Winegrowers Association.

The website offers a centralized hub of information from WCSETF, universities, government agencies, and industry groups, including these topics:

• Best practices
• Labs
• Contracts
• Crop insurance
• Wildfire preparedness
• Videos
• University resources
• Research
• News and events

Posted on the website are updated best practices that include grape sampling protocol for growers as well as micro-fermentation and nano-scale fermentation protocols.

“The goal with this website is to consolidate and share as much information as possible regarding smoke exposure,” Natalie Collins, chair of the WCSETF steering committee and president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, said in a news release. “Instead of having to search multiple websites for information, the industry can now use the WCSETF website as a convenient, go-to resource. The site is a work in progress and will continue to be updated with additional content.”

The WCSETF originated from discussions in early 2019 between grower leaders and industry group representatives from California, Oregon and Washington. Since then, the task force has convened educational webinars, including its annual Smoke Summit, and produced reference materials to assist growers and winemakers with certain challenges associated with smoke-exposed wine grapes.

WCSETF steering committee members include wine grape industry organizations from California, Oregon and Washington. They work in partnership with scientists from the University of California, Davis, Oregon State University, Washington State University and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Other task force committees focus on industry specific needs, such as research and communications, and include members in the West Coast wine industry.

The website is supported by a grant from USDA ARS through the Washington Wine Industry Foundation.