No, they were not talking about Smokey Syrahs.

Please, no.

by ExaminationFancy

30 Comments

  1. jackloganoliver

    I had a Peruvian Malbec in December that had so much smoke on it that I literally gagged. And I’m an avid bbq guy and can handle large amounts of smoke. Just absolutely awful. Please keep it away from my wines, kthnx

  2. Artfan1024

    lol. This is people buying 2020 wines and then realizing they are smoke tainted and now they don’t want to look dumb.

  3. Old-Tiger-4971

    They must be kidding. There is almost ZERO 2020 crop in Oregon.

    However, one vintner did make it into BBQ and it’s passable.

  4. MysteriousPanic4899

    The problem with smoke taint in wine is it smells like an ash tray, not pleasant BBQ smoke.

  5. andresp91

    Wines from the Canary Islands can be smoky in a good way! I definitely can enjoy that but smoke taint from the fires is a little bit too much. Is that James Suckling? If that’s him… of course he was gonna be the first one to sell out to this “trend”.

  6. FocusIsFragile

    Schlenkerla marketing team is playing the long game…

  7. Likes_The_Scotch

    If you wouldn’t smoke grapes and eat them you’re not going to want smoke taint in your wine. Plus as it ages supposedly the smoke taint gets even more pronounced can someone back me up on that?

  8. Beauneyard

    I tasted quite a lot of smoke tainted samples over the last few years. Its not unpleasant in smaller quantities in some beefy, riper wines like Zinfandel. That said its laughable to ever think its desirable.

  9. I add a few drops of liquid smoke to every glass of wine. Love the flavor!

    (I’m kidding guys, please don’t kill me)

  10. shalomefrombaxoje

    I do love Aecht Rauschbier.

    Won’t knock it til I try it!

  11. SommAntonieaux

    Of course it’s Fox “reporting”. You can find wines from 2020v without smoke taint, but far and few options between.

  12. Smoke taint is very unpleasant lol. Ashy wines from Santorini and Sicily, on the other hand, are enjoyable. 

  13. Crazy how people instantly recognize this is bad but still want fucking smoke gun cocktails lmao

  14. I’m a child, and it took me entirely too long to figure out that what you meant by “taint” wasn’t a body part.

  15. Misspelled_username

    I went to a slightly experimental restaurant recently which was amazing. Dishes were paired with mostly local, Croatian wines.
    One of the dishee was a branzino which was finished by smoking japanese coal onto it. It was paired with a merlot with a slight smoke taint. That vineyard had some fires in that vintage and it showed but when paired with the dish, it worked beautifully.
    The producer asked the chef not to tell anyone that it was his and it was served without a label.

  16. sundowntg

    Beer can use rauchmalt, but it’s very easy to overdo

  17. Tasted some Okanagan smoke tainted wine last summer, and it was foul. The producer (I won’t say which one) was trying very hard to make it a sellable product, but I really can’t see many people choosing that kind of flavour.

  18. idkmanthisismyuser

    smoke taint smells like an old smoker’s car and feels like i licked dust off a surface i don’t believe them

  19. anyone have the brandies that were made from 2020 grapes? I recall kelly fox made one, maybe patricia green?

  20. fartwisely

    In retail I only had one pitch for smoke taint wines on steep discount (discontinued, distributor clearance)… When customer said they need a bottle for sitting by the fire pit with friends or overseeing the meats on the grill. Otherwise I’d never pitch it and would redirect to other wines.

  21. fartwisely

    What’s next “We decided to let this vintage cook last summer in our utility closet… just like the gas station at the corner.”

  22. nerve-stapled-drone

    Here’s the thing I’ve come to understand about “smoke” taint: it really should be called Ash taint. When you’re intentionally “smoking” something like meat, you’re using a specific wood intended for that purpose and maintains a certain temperature. A forest fire can be insanely hot and burns up the trees, sap, leaves and needles, and everything else. All of that becomes fine particulate that lands on the vines and grapes.

    It’s a difference between smelling the smoke of a campfire and tasting the ashes of a campfire the next morning.

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