When Smoke Gets in Your Wine

KQED's Forum

KQED

News Commentary, News, Politics

4.2 • 727 Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2026

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Buttery notes. Hints of cherry. A wisp of chocolate. All are desirable tastes in wine. But what happens when the grapes have been exposed to wildfire smoke and the wine tastes more like BBQ or an ashtray? Wine makers and scientists are exploring how to create wines from grapes that may have been tainted by smoke. At a time when the wine industry is facing the headwinds of tariffs, decreasing interest in wine, and climate change, these efforts have taken on more importance. We’ll talk about what happens when smoke gets in your wine. Guests: Nicola Twilley, contributor, New Yorker Magazine. Her most recent piece for the magazine is titled "Can We Save Wine from Wildfires?" Sarah Doyle, wine reporter, The Press Democrat Ashley Egelhoff, winemaker, Honig Vineyard & Winery Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for KQED podcasts comes from San Francisco International Airport.
0:05.8	At SFO, you can shop, dine, and unwind before your flight.
0:10.3	Go ahead, treat yourself.
0:12.1	Learn more about SFO restaurants and shops at flysfo.com.
0:17.1	To be or not to be?
0:19.9	Right now, we're offering a range of incentives across Audi models.
0:23.6	That is the...
0:24.6	But only until the 28th of February.
0:27.1	The...
0:27.8	Um...
0:29.0	So stop whatever you're doing.
0:31.4	Um, I'll be right back.
0:34.1	Just carry on without me.
0:35.3	And find yours online or at Finchley Road, Audi.
0:38.6	Audi, four-sprung-Dirk Technic.
0:40.8	Terms and conditions apply.
0:42.1	Selected models, retail customers and participating Audi centers only.
0:48.2	From KQED.
0:50.3	Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal.
0:53.4	The wine industry has been beset by a variety of issues over the last
0:57.3	decade. A big one is climate change, which is affecting the way that grapes grow, ripen, and can be harvested.
1:03.9	But there's another environmental element and one linked both to climate change and the history of forestry that already is and will be a growing
	...

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