Postharvest

Christopher Chen, UC Cooperative Extension integrated vineyard systems advisor for Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties, works to ensure that the vineyards that produce the region’s world-renowned wines can thrive amid the challenges of climate change, wildfires and water scarcity.

In the winegrape vineyards of northern California, fire and its associated smoke pose a unique threat in the form of smoke-taint damage to the fruit. A preliminary study looks at whether prescribed burning as a fire prevention method poses a risk to winegrape crops.