Winemaker Trials and Approaches to Mitigating Smoke Impact
2020 saw unprecedented wildfire impacts to the vintage in both the northern and southern hemispheres. It is widely understood that wine grape vineyards exposed to fresh wildfire smoke can result in the loss of grape quality and render crops unsuitable for fine wine production. However, too often growers, winemakers and managers lack the knowledge and tools needed to make timely, informed decisions about the status of wine grapes exposed to smoke and how to prevent or mitigate damage when smoke events occur. The lack of science-based information and effective tools leads to uncertainty and the potential for greater losses than should otherwise occur.
An international panel of winemakers will present their methods and insights on how to manage expectations, grower relations and best practices for assessing wine production during smoke events and into the cellar post-fermentation.
View the Session Recording
Speaker Bios
Peter spent five years managing the Technical Services Group at the Australian Wine Research Institute, providing advice and problem-solving to winemakers across the country, and worked on environmental issues including drought and climate change at the South Australian Wine Industry Association. He now divides his time between making wine for super-premium clients at Revenir Winemaking, and—with marketing guru David LeMire MW—his own label “La Linea,” specializing in Tempranillo and Mencia.
Peter also has an MBA, but describes his greatest challenge and achievement as sharing in the parenting of two beautiful daughters. He was named Winemaker of the Year by The Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology in 2020.
Anne left the island to attend college in Dijon and enrolled later in the master’s program of viticulture and oenology in Bordeaux. During that time, she would always go back to Burgundy for her internships (Domaine Jean-François Coche-Dury and Domaine Hubert Lignier). After graduating she decided to go to the U.S. to perfect her English and see another Pinot noir region. She fell in love with the Willamette Valley and decided to stay. She then met Laurent Montalieu, who offered her a position as assistant winemaker for Soléna. In 2012 she joined the NW Wine Co. team and later became one of its winemakers.
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