Month: August 2025

Smoke Exposure Research Roadmap Published

August 22, 2025 - Member Only, WWI News

With wildfire smoke continuing to be a significant threat to winegrapes and wines, a comprehensive new roadmap provides guidance for smoke exposure research and mitigation strategies for the industry.

The roadmap, titled “Following the Smoke Signals: Elucidating the Future of U.S. Smoke Exposure Research,” was developed following a November 2024 workshop at Oregon State University, hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and the National Grape Research Alliance. Workshop attendees – including federal scientists, university researchers, and wine/winegrape industry members – discussed the latest science on smoke exposure, industry needs, and strategies for building smoke resilience.

The 27-page document, authored by USDA-ARS researcher Arran Rumbaugh, summarizes workshop outcomes and highlights five critical research priorities:

-Establishing threshold levels
-Rapid detection and risk assessment
-Atmospheric modeling
-Prevention strategies in the vineyard
-Mitigation techniques in the winery

Click here to read the full press release on Wine Industry Advisor.

 

The roadmap and bulletins summarizing segments of the roadmap are now available on the new West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force website.

Roadmap, Bulletins

Wautoma Springs

August 20, 2025 - Featured Winery

In 2008 Jessica approached Tom Merkle about working together to create a wine that featured his grapes. A partnership was formed that became Wautoma Wines – made of the best Cabernet Sauvignon from Wautoma Springs Vineyard.

Eight years later Rachel Mercer joined the duo and the three set their sights on increasing production and opening a Tasting Room. In December 2019, Wautoma Springs Tasting Room in Prosser, WA, opened. Since then Wautoma Springs has grown to include Shae Jenkins as Wine Club Manager and a small, but mighty team of wonderful tasting room staff. 

The epitome of a boutique winery, producing extremely small-lot, hand-crafted wines from people who know the business inside and out. This isn’t a venture capitalist’s or a lawyer’s winery – not that there’s anything wrong with that. We know the soil. We know the vines. And we know how to make good wine. Our story is in every bottle.

Source Wautoma Springs