Hi all,

I have just finished the primary ferment on one tonne of shiraz.
Unfortunately due to the recent bush fires, the wine has a distinct smoke
smell and this is very noticeable on the palette. Does anybody have any
recommendations re getting the smoke taint reduced or even better removed.
Thanks all,
Leon

> I have just finished the primary ferment on one tonne of shiraz.
> Unfortunately due to the recent bush fires, the wine has a distinct smoke
> smell and this is very noticeable on the palette. Does anybody have any
> recommendations re getting the smoke taint reduced or even better removed.
> Thanks all,
> Leon

I know of winemakers who get flavors of surrounding trees (like
eucalypt/gum) in their wines from non-contact transferrence of some
sort. It just becomes part of the flavor of the wine - what better
experience of terroir can there be?

I'm guessing that a lot of smoke flavors are going to be large
molecules that might just fall out during aging. Someone else with
better chemical knowledge might chime in here to support or refute
that.

Luckily for you, smoke isn't that off of a flavor in a shiraz. It
might even show up as a heavier toast on any oak you expose the wine
to during aging.

Rob

Probably due to phenolics such a cresols etc not much chance of
removing them.
You problem may come if your customers come to accept the variation as
a desirable nuance. You might have a problem duplicating it.

Bob
www.molab.co.nz

On Apr 8, 3:15 am, "Bob M" > wrote:
> Probably due to phenolics such a cresols etc not much chance of
> removing them.
> You problem may come if your customers come to accept the variation as
> a desirable nuance. You might have a problem duplicating it.
>
> Bobwww.molab.co.nz

Try egg whites. Maybe Lum has a thought on this? I never had that
issue.

Joe

"Rob" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>> I have just finished the primary ferment on one tonne of shiraz.
>> Unfortunately due to the recent bush fires, the wine has a distinct smoke
>> smell and this is very noticeable on the palette. Does anybody have any
>> recommendations re getting the smoke taint reduced or even better
>> removed.
>> Thanks all,
>> Leon
>
> I know of winemakers who get flavors of surrounding trees (like
> eucalypt/gum) in their wines from non-contact transferrence of some
> sort. It just becomes part of the flavor of the wine - what better
> experience of terroir can there be?
>
> I'm guessing that a lot of smoke flavors are going to be large
> molecules that might just fall out during aging. Someone else with
> better chemical knowledge might chime in here to support or refute
> that.
>
> Luckily for you, smoke isn't that off of a flavor in a shiraz. It
> might even show up as a heavier toast on any oak you expose the wine
> to during aging.
>
> Rob
>

Thanks all for your ideas. It would appear that after pressing and allowing
a little time for the lees to settle ( One week ) that the taint has reduced
considerably. I think I will rack the wine early and have another look at
it.

Leon

Maybe you could blend it with a cheap scotch to improve the scotch by adding
smoky flavor to it. Seriously, my guess is that for better or worse it is
there. It might decrease or even disappear with age. Or you may grow to
like it and then you are in trouble because you could never duplicate it.

Ray

"Leon" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all,
>
> I have just finished the primary ferment on one tonne of shiraz.
> Unfortunately due to the recent bush fires, the wine has a distinct smoke
> smell and this is very noticeable on the palette. Does anybody have any
> recommendations re getting the smoke taint reduced or even better removed.
> Thanks all,
> Leon
>
>

Leon,

What you have is a one-of-a-kind example of Terroir. The smokey nose you
refer to is actually the expression of the specific locale where the
grapes were grown, and may not be repeated in the forseeable future, so
it's a rare attribute, and should be a much sought after vintage!

Seriously, it's not likely that you can do much to eliminate the
smokiness without diminishing the other positive flavors & aromas, but
take heart in what happened to a friend of mine:

He's a commercial grower/maker who maqde the mistake of leaving a batch
of Cab franc in new barrels for too long. The result was probably a lot
like your Shiraz, way too smokey (& oakey).

He brought a bunch of it along to a wine festival, but didn't have much
hope in selling it. My wife & I, who were pouring samples for him,
dceided to this wine's defect into a highlight. We explained to tasters
the "smokey, oakey nuance" of this wine which was "aged extensively in
new French oak barrels. You can actually taste the toasted oak." People
found the taste, and understood it (and thought we did it on purpose),
and loved it. They bought it by the case, and it sold out on the first
day. It was such a hit that a couple of people asked for it in
subsequent years.

Did we con the people into buying inferior wine? Not at all. We just
explained the wine so they could appreciate it, and they were quite
happy with the experience once they knew what it was. I suspect the
quality of your Shiraz is not so much a matter of being defective, as it
is a matter of letting the wine tell its story. People love a story.

After all, if the French can view Brettanomyces as "adding complexity",
what's a little smokiness in a good Aussie Shiraz?

--
Mike MTM, Cokesbury, NJ, USA

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Mike,

That was a great reply. The power of positive thinking can sometimes
prevail. It would seem the smoke taste has reduced in as short a time as one
week Tomorrow I will rack it off its sludge in the hope the bulk of the
smoke taint will remain in it. I am inclined to agree with you about the
different aroma and taste. It is not as over powering now as it once was,
combine that with a little oak, a touch more tannin, a little skim milk,
perhaps tartaric and who knows.

I do have 600 litres of Cab in barrel from last year that I may use as a
blending agent so my guess is some bench trials will be in order next year.

Leon (Melbourne Aust.)

"Mike McGeough" > wrote in message
...
> Leon,
>
> What you have is a one-of-a-kind example of Terroir. The smokey nose you
> refer to is actually the expression of the specific locale where the
> grapes were grown, and may not be repeated in the forseeable future, so
> it's a rare attribute, and should be a much sought after vintage!
>
> Seriously, it's not likely that you can do much to eliminate the smokiness
> without diminishing the other positive flavors & aromas, but take heart in
> what happened to a friend of mine:
>
> He's a commercial grower/maker who maqde the mistake of leaving a batch of
> Cab franc in new barrels for too long. The result was probably a lot like
> your Shiraz, way too smokey (& oakey).
>
> He brought a bunch of it along to a wine festival, but didn't have much
> hope in selling it. My wife & I, who were pouring samples for him, dceided
> to this wine's defect into a highlight. We explained to tasters the
> "smokey, oakey nuance" of this wine which was "aged extensively in new
> French oak barrels. You can actually taste the toasted oak." People found
> the taste, and understood it (and thought we did it on purpose), and loved
> it. They bought it by the case, and it sold out on the first day. It was
> such a hit that a couple of people asked for it in subsequent years.
>
> Did we con the people into buying inferior wine? Not at all. We just
> explained the wine so they could appreciate it, and they were quite happy
> with the experience once they knew what it was. I suspect the quality of
> your Shiraz is not so much a matter of being defective, as it is a matter
> of letting the wine tell its story. People love a story.
>
> After all, if the French can view Brettanomyces as "adding complexity",
> what's a little smokiness in a good Aussie Shiraz?
>
> --
> Mike MTM, Cokesbury, NJ, USA
>
> Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> ** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.usenet.com
>

Skim milk???

Skim milk is a protein, its use is the same for fining as is egg white etc.
It must be skim milk with no fat! It works well and is cheap.

"Dirty Harry" > wrote in message
news:JRTTh.68832$DE1.27802@pd7urf2no...
> Skim milk???
>
>