In August 2020, the West Coast’s worst fire season in history began. Over 11,000 lightning bolts struck central and Northern California in the span of 36 hours, more than eight million acres burned across 12 states, and winemakers’ dreams of a perfect vintage went up in flames.
The wildfires cost the California wine industry nearly four billion dollars, according to one analyst. That figure includes both direct fire damage and sales lost owing to smoke exposure. “That year made it very clear we need to be better prepared,” one researcher said. Now the wine industry wants cheap, field-based tests that can predict whether its product will be tainted by smoke or not, effective techniques to remove smoke-taint compounds from wine, and ways to protect grapes from smoke in the first place. Read more about the uphill battle makers and growers are facing in the wake of climate change: [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/01/12/can-we-save-wine-from-wildfires](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/01/12/can-we-save-wine-from-wildfires)
1 Comment
In August 2020, the West Coast’s worst fire season in history began. Over 11,000 lightning bolts struck central and Northern California in the span of 36 hours, more than eight million acres burned across 12 states, and winemakers’ dreams of a perfect vintage went up in flames.
The wildfires cost the California wine industry nearly four billion dollars, according to one analyst. That figure includes both direct fire damage and sales lost owing to smoke exposure. “That year made it very clear we need to be better prepared,” one researcher said. Now the wine industry wants cheap, field-based tests that can predict whether its product will be tainted by smoke or not, effective techniques to remove smoke-taint compounds from wine, and ways to protect grapes from smoke in the first place. Read more about the uphill battle makers and growers are facing in the wake of climate change: [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/01/12/can-we-save-wine-from-wildfires](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/01/12/can-we-save-wine-from-wildfires)