The remains of burned bottles of wine at the Signorello Estate winery. Photo: Eric Risberg / AP
Wines in Northern California wine country could have "smoke taint," according to USA Today, which could leave flavors like "bacon," "campfire," and "ashtray" behind.
Why it matters: While USA Today reports that it's too early to say with certainty how much of the wine from the 2017 crop will be impacted, a sommelier in Reno said "the vines have no other choice" but to breathe in the smoke.
But: A fine wine executive, Kevin Riley, told USA Today that consumers "should not assume an automatic rise in wine prices next year as a result of the wildfires." And, after the California wildfires in 2008, smoke taint in wine country "was evident, but it wasn't so off-putting it was unsellable."