Smoke Exposure Resources

Smoke Exposure Steps | WCSETF Resources |  Lab Resources | Baseline Project 

7 Steps When Dealing with Smoke Exposure

NVG recommends growers take the following immediate steps when dealing with any level of smoke exposure:

1. Communicate early and often with wineries/purchasing partners to propose vineyard and winery mitigation strategies and a unified approach to reducing risk and losses.
   - Read about Mitigating Losses with Winery Partners on our Preparedness page
2. Prior to any fire event, familiarize yourself with recommended lab sampling protocols and guidelines, as well as your insurance company’s specific sampling criteria.
   - Read NVG's 5-Step Testing Process for Crop Insurance Claims (access through the Members-Only button below)
   - Review the tech sheet provided by NVG Strategic Partner ETS Labs below
   - Follow sampling protocols recommended by the West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force and other groups listed below
   - Plan to do your own testing, even if it will also be done by winery/purchaser
   - Consider taking benchmark samples prior to harvest and/or freezing additional samples for future testing and research
3. If you have crop insurance, review your policy and eligibility requirements with an agent.
   - Note: Crop insurance will likely not cover loss of grape sales without corresponding lab results
4. If you do not have crop insurance, testing is still recommended as documentation for applying for disaster assistance.
   - Review disaster assistance options as they become available
   - Note: at this time, there is currently no state or federal disaster assistance for crop losses due to smoke taint
5. Review and consider updating your grape contracts with smoke exposure provisions.
   - Visit NVG's Tools for Grape Sales for Grape Sales resources for contract language pertaining to smoke exposure
6. Protect the health and safety of vineyard workers.
   - Read about Health & Safety on our Emergency Steps page 
7. Take care of your vineyard.
   - Vines are resilient to heat and smoke exposure when properly cared for
   - Extra irrigation may be beneficial for vines close to fires or significant smoke
   - ​Continue to follow best practices for managing your vineyard even if concerned about crop losses

WCSETF Resources

The West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force (WCSETF) provides science-based guidance, testing protocols, and risk management tools tailored for grape and wine production. WCSETF’s website, launched in 2024, serves as a centralized hub of information and resources, including:

• Sampling and Testing Protocols – Step-by-step instructions for collecting grape samples and submitting them for smoke compound analysis.
• Micro-Fermentation and Nano-Fermentation Protocols – Comprehensive guides to detect potential smoke-related flavor and aroma issues before full harvest.
• Sensory Analysis - Research on retronasal flavor changes in smoke-affected wines and the effectiveness of different rinse protocols in clearing smoke attributes.
• FAQ’s - An 11-page document compiling current research and practical experience related to smoke exposure.

Lab Resources

​​ETS Labs 
NVG has partnered with ETS Labs, NVG Strategic Sponsor, to help members prepare for harvest season and the potential for future fire events.

What You Can Expect:
Significant changes have been made within the laboratory since the 2020 season, which presented unprecedented challenges with fires burning across the entire west coast. Preparation includes improved sample throughput capabilities and added additional GC/MS and GC/MSMS units, which has allowed ETS to nearly double the number of samples they are able to run per day. 

Watch the video in Spanish here

Read a Message from ETS

View the ETS Wildfire Impact Sheet

Lab Directory

​Micro-Ferment Testing
ETS Labs, St. Helena
K Prime Inc., Santa Rosa
AWRI, Australia
SupraRnD, British Columbia

​Berry Testing
ETS, St. Helena 
K Prime Inc., Santa Rosa
SupraRnD, British Columbia

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Baseline Project

ETS Laboratories and the Napa Valley Grapegrowers have worked in partnership over the past three years to collect samples from around the valley to build the largest wildfire smoke grape berries baseline database in North America. With the data collected from these samples we are able to help winemakers better understand the levels of impact caused by wildfires, work with insurance companies to protect your assets, and create individual baselines for the varietals in your vineyard.
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Since launching this project in 2021, we are happy to announce that the database is comprised of more than 900 samples, representing the main grape varieties grown in our part of the world. 

Sampling Protocol

Read More

The program was partially funded by the USDA Extension Risk Management Education grant.