But inadvertently, wine can develop an unpleasant smoky smell or ashy aftertaste when vineyards are flooded with smoke from nearby wildfires.

This summer, Washington State University scientists launched a new study to purposefully smoke grape vines to assess how much exposure is needed to cause “smoke taint” and how the wine-making process can be adjusted to minimize the effects of those flavors.

“Everyone would like to know if there is a wildfire nearby, or not so nearby, but if there is smoke in the vineyard and if the fruit has been exposed to a certain amount of smoke, could they have a problem or not?” said Tom Collins, Washington State University Tri-Cities assistant professor of viticulture and enology.

Collins, who recently moved to WSU from California, said he’s seen smoke ruin the taste of wines in California after bad fire seasons, but the impacts are hard to predict because of all the variables — amount of exposure, stage of fruit development, and wine making choices to name a few — that presumably play a role.