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October 2017 WINES&VINES 17 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS ECO-FRIENDLY PLASTIC STORAGE BINS PLASTIC CALLOUS BOXES FOR VINE CLEANLINESS Wonderful Nurseries' ADVANCED TESTING LAB WonderfulNurseries.com 661.758.4777 PREMIER QUALITY FROM NORTH AMERICA'S LEADING VINE NURSERY SERVING THE WINE, TABLE GRAPE, RAISIN AND PISTACHIO INDUSTRIES Leaders raise the bar in everything they do and that's why Wonderful Nurseries continues to set the industry standards for vine cleanliness, improved irrigation methods and product selection. In the last year alone, Wonderful Nurseries has completed a new, state-of the-art greenhouse facility to house 8 million-vines annually, changed from wood to eco-friendly recycled plastic storage bins and callous boxes, and introduced new sanitization techniques. From our 2010 Protocol mother blocks, our advanced testing lab enabling 100% scion testing for internal mother blocks, the innovative Root Sock and more, Wonderful Nurseries strives to provide the cleanest, healthiest vines in the industry. It's how we lead. It's how we grow. J acksonville, Ore.—Thick smoke hung over Cowhorn Vineyard from August to September. The vineyard in the Applegate Valley is located just 5 miles from the Miller Complex Fire, a 28,670-acre wildfire sparked by storms Aug. 14. Smoke from that fire and the Chetco Bar conflagration, which has grown to 176,770 acres near Brookings, Ore., have made this year's smoke heavier than usual. The smoke reached as far north as British Columbia, where air cur- rents added plumes from Wash- ington wildfires. All told, the National Wildland Coordinating Center lists 29 major fires through- out Washington and Oregon. British Columbia has had its own fires to contend with, the largest being the massive Pla- teau fire, 19 fires now burning as one on 1.3 million acres of forest and rangeland in the province's interior. The start of wildfire season well before véraison initially meant few grapegrowers were worried—the smoke simply wasn't lying in vineyards heavily enough or long enough to make a differ- ence. But by September, anyone traveling the breadth of the North- west was aware that the combina- tion of plumes had made the smoke an almost constant com- panion across the region for nearly two months. "Now we're into troublesome territory," says Bill Steele, who runs Cowhorn with his wife, Bar- bara. "There are multiple fires around us, and it's hung around a lot longer than (in 2014)." While smoke taint is a concern, a key issue is the lack of solar ra- diation reaching the vines. To ad- dress the issue, Steele has turned on his overhead sprinklers once a week to give the vines a rinse. He also sent samples to the lab to gauge the impact smoke is having on fruit composition. Washington winemaker Kerry Shiels said wildfire smoke at DuBrul Vineyard near Sunnyside, Wash., in the Yakima Valley AVA has reduced air quality but isn't a major concern. "When the air quality deterio- rated (Sept. 5), we started monitor- ing PM (particulate matter) levels in DuBrul Vineyard, in the fruiting zone," she told Wines & Vines. Since particulate matter levels have typically been low, she isn't expecting any impacts but is keep- ing tabs on matters. "It's too early to tell at this point what the effects will be in any particular vineyard," she said. "One thing is sure, though: This a potential issue for vineyards all over the West Coast." —Peter Mitham Northwest Winemakers Say Potential for Smoke Taint Exists The sky above Cowhorn Vineyard was filled with smoke in early September as a result of rampant wildfires burning in the Pacific Northwest. PETER MITHAM