French winemakers fear wildfire smoke will taint rosé

French winemakers in the Var region are waiting to learn whether smoke from recent wildfires has tainted grapes in the country's main rosé-producing area.

Wildfires in the southeastern French region have sent thousands of people fleeing and destroyed more than 6,000 hectares of land. Expert estimates say flames have destroyed hundreds of hectares among about 30,000 hectares of vineyards.

Gregory Guibergia, a winemaker in Correns, said the edge of his vineyard had been scorched but many vines remained green enough for grapes to mature before harvest next week. He said he would process grapes in separate batches to limit any damage from contaminated fruit, but feared some wine from his 25-hectare vineyard could become unsellable.

Oenology consultant Clement Prelat said one or two hours of smoke exposure could be enough for smoke compounds to bind to sugars in grapes. He said the smoky taste would appear only after fermentation.

Lucie Demirdjian, a winemaker in Ponteves, said she had lost 11 of her 18 hectares in a wildfire and was waiting for laboratory results before spending money on harvesting surviving vines.

Agricultural engineer Gregori Lanza said vineyards covered by firefighting retardant had so far been declared unfit for winemaking. He said smoky wine might not be unsafe to drink but would probably be difficult to sell.

Fabien Mistre, from the Correns winemaking cooperative, said activated charcoal had been tested after a wildfire last year to remove smoky taste from rosé and white wine, but said he would not sell his organic wine if it had a burnt aroma.