Wildfires taint West Coast vineyards with taste of smoke

TURNER, Ore. (AP) — Wine from 2020 will have noticeably smoky tasting notes.

Smoke from the West Coast wildfires has tainted grapes in some of the nation’s most celebrated wine regions and the resulting ashy flavor could spell disaster for the 2020 vintage.

The president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers says the fires will be the single worst disaster the wine-grape growing community has ever faced.

Growers are still assessing the extent of the smoke damage in California, Oregon and Washington.