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April 2016 WINES&VINES 39 GROUNDED GRAPEGROWING • Separate the press fraction from the free-run juice and wine extracted with low-pressure pressing at the winery, which is less likely to have any smoke flavors. • The press fraction will have to be treated— most likely with ultrafiltration, which removes phenolic compounds and discoloration. Car- bon fining may also be useful. Treat until the wine can be blended back with the free-run juice, or don't use it if there are concerns about diminishing the quality of the final product. For red winemaking, the most confounding aspect of the smoke flavors is the tendency of the problem to increase as fermentation proceeds. The release during primary fermentation of the smoke flavor compounds from the skins is antici- pated. The problem is that after removal from the skins (either free run or pressed wine), the flavors increase as the wine goes through malo- lactic fermentation. This suggests that there is conjugation of the smoke flavor causing com- pounds, and enzyme hydrolysis of smoke affected grape juice occurs, intensifying the smoke flavor. Following processing and fermentation, guaiacol levels can increase threefold in white wine. In fermented red fruit, the levels may increase five to 10 times higher than what was detected in unfermented red fruit. Tasting thresholds in uno- aked wines are around 4 ppb guaiacol for whites and 6 ppb in red wines. Since guaiacol is also TURNING LEMONS INTO LEMONADE AND SMOKE-AFFECTED FRUIT INTO WINE Five-hundred case wine producer Yosemite Cellars became a bonded winery in 2007. Just six years later, winery owners Cheryl and Ron Harms found them- selves watching helplessly as the 400-square-mile Rim Fire raged out of control a mere 1 mile from their 4-acre vineyard in the Sierra Foothills appellation. The Harms established their vineyard in 2007, with a secondary planting in 2009. Though grapes harvested for the 2013 vintage had a distinct taste and aroma of smoke, the Harms crossed their fingers and decided to see if they could resurrect the fruit by adding wine made from the 2012 harvest. "The smoke from the fire enveloped our vineyard for weeks," the Harms explain on the back label of Rim Fire Red. "In homage to the fire, we are calling our wine from that period Rim Fire Red. The wine has an unmistakable taste of smoke, plus layers of dark fruit." Rim Fire Red is a non-vintage blend of Syrah, Grenache, Tannat and Cabernet Franc. Cheryl Harms tells Wines & Vines, "We produced 210 cases of Rim Fire Red. The wine was bottled in September 2014 and released in April 2015." The wine sells for $19 direct from the winery and is available at a handful of nearby stores and restaurants. —Kate Lavin 145 Jordan Street • San Rafael, CA 94901 • 415-457-3955 • Fax 457-0304 • www.boswellcompany.com