One of the growers, Michael Moore of Quail Run Vineyards, was shocked when Copper Cane cancelled its contract.

“It would have been our profit for the year,” he says. Of the 37 additional wineries he sells to, “all I’m getting is rave reviews at what great fruit we provided.” Moore’s grapes were 20 miles from the nearest fire, in Grants Pass.   

For fires in wine regions, there are varying effects on grapes aromatics: smoke taint, smoke exposure, and smoky tasting notes. The first is off-putting: Think of the scent from a well-used ashtray. The second happens more frequently as nearby fires send smoke close to vineyards, with fog, wind, and cool night air usually minimizing ill effects. The third—smoky notes—manifest as qualities a sommelier will recount in telling you about a lovely 2013 pinot noir that was aged 24 months in oak barrels.  While there may have been smoke exposure for Quail Run grapes, there was no smoke taint. 

All the Way Up to the Capitol

The situation expanded from a Rogue Valley problem to an Oregon state concern. King, a leader in the wine community, urged local winemakers, winery owners, and growers to buy as many grapes as possible and launch a one-time label called Solidarity.

News of the plan spread to the capitol. “The Rogue Valley often bears the brunt of wildfire season, and it’s incredible that our wine community is stepping up to support one another and boost our local economy,” said Katherine Brown, governor of Oregon, in a call to the group.

Embracing Smoky Notes

“Smoke compounds aren’t always negative,” says Tom Danowski, Oregon Wine Board president. For example, “there’s some element of smoke-related compounds in some of the best wines that age in barrels that are slightly toasted.” The process of toasting an oak barrel, employed to release flavor compounds before wine is aged inside, is similar to the combustion of plants in a fire. Guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol are present in toasted barrels, and they are used as markers of smoke taint in grapes. “I don’t believe guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol are directly responsible for smoke taint, given they often occur at far higher concentrations in oak-aged wines,”  says Kerry Wilkinson, professor of oenology at the University of Adelaide in South Australia, via Skype. “Guaiacol has also been found in grapes, Shiraz in particular, without any suggestion of smoke taint.”

Moore’s grapes were still on the vine and would go from ripe to overripe in days. Willamette Valley Vineyards owner Jim Bernau neither needed them nor had a fermentation tank to store them, but he took Moore’s fruit, paying full price that ranged from $2,000 to $2,500 a ton. He then sent a sample out for independent testing that confirmed the level was below the threshold for smoke taint. Other Oregon wineries bought more grapes, and then four winemakers blended the wine.

Beginning on Valentine’s Day, the 2018 Solidarity rosé, chardonnay, and pinot noir will be available for presale at Cellar 503, a wine club that sells only Oregon wine. “We wish it hadn’t happened, but it’s such a great response to the Copper Cane thing,” says co-owner Carrie Wynkoop. “It’s what we’re about here in Oregon.”