A recent study has revealed that specific consumer segments are receptive to wines affected by smoke, presenting potential market opportunities for winemakers grappling with the ongoing challenge of wildfire smoke’s impact on grapes. In collaboration with counterparts in New Zealand, researchers from Oregon State University discovered that consumers who enjoy smoky flavours in their food and drinks are more likely to appreciate wines influenced by smoke. The study also highlighted the significant role that labelling can play in modulating consumer acceptance of these wines.

Elizabeth Tomasino, a professor of enology at Oregon State University, emphasised the importance of these findings for the wine industry. She pointed out that for a niche group of wine consumers, there exists a viable market for wines that have been impacted by smoke. This insight is crucial for winemakers increasingly facing the repercussions of more enormous and more frequent wildfires around the globe. For instance, the economic toll of the wildfires on the West Coast of the United States in 2020 was estimated to be as high as $3.7 billion.

In response to the escalating impact of wildfires, a team of scientists from Oregon State was awarded a $7.65 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture further to investigate the effects of smoke on wine quality. This team has since identified specific compounds that contribute to the smoky characteristics in grapes and has developed innovative spray-on coatings for grapes that help prevent undesirable flavours in wines caused by wildfire smoke.

The latest findings from this research were published in the journal Food Research International, which delved into consumer attitudes towards smoke-impacted wines. This subject has not been extensively explored previously. Tomasino and doctoral student Jenna Fryer shipped smoke-impacted and standard wines made from Oregon pinot noir grapes to New Zealand to conduct this study. There, they collaborated with Amanda Dupas de Matos and Joanne Hort at Massey University to study the reactions of 197 participants who were not accustomed to wines affected by wildfire smoke.

This New Zealand study revealed two distinct consumer groups: one that appreciated the smoke-impacted wine (110 participants) and another that did not favour it (87 participants). Introducing specific labels that referred to the wildfires increased the acceptance of smoke-impacted wines among those who initially disliked them, enhancing their average liking scores significantly.

The researchers concluded that winemakers have several strategies to market smoke-impacted wines effectively. These include blending smoke-affected wines with unaffected varieties to mitigate the smoky flavour and employing targeted marketing strategies to appeal to consumers inclined towards smoky notes. Tomasino noted that the study’s findings suggest winemakers might be underestimating consumer tolerance for smoky wines, indicating more flexibility in marketing and production strategies than previously considered. This groundbreaking research opens up new avenues for winemakers to adapt to the evolving challenges posed by climate change and wildfires, potentially transforming a crisis into an opportunity for innovation and market expansion.

More information: Jenna Fryer et al, Consumer responses to smoke-impacted pinot noir wine and the influence of label concepts on perception, Food Research International. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2025.115881

Journal information: Food Research International Provided by Oregon State University