Season 12: Cheers To Wine Grapes | Episode 2: Smoke On The Grapevine

Season 12: Cheers To Wine Grapes | Episode 2: Smoke On The Grapevine

From Science In Your Shopping Cart by USDA Agricultural Research Service

May 12, 2026 · 8 min · Season 12 · Episode 2

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of wildfire smoke on wine grapes and features research by Arran Rumbaugh.

ARS researcher Arran Rumbaugh, a research chemist at the Crops Pathology and Genetics Research Unit in Davis, CA, is studying how smoke from wildfires can affect the chemical composition of wine grapes. Wildfires from 2020 hurt wine grape production and had an estimated 3.7 billion dollars of economic impact on the wine industry due to smoke exposure and fire. Dr. Rumbaugh is working on an early screening method that could quickly detect the smoke exposure and impact on grapevines. This ARS research has the potential to save time, money, and millions of wine grapes. To learn more about Arran Rumbaugh’s research, please visit the link below. https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=447625 Connect with us: Twitter: @USDA_ARS Facebook: @AgriculturalResearchService LinkedIn: @usda-ars

People in this episode

Guest: Arran Rumbaugh

Topics covered

  • wine grapes
  • wildfires
  • chemical composition
  • economic impact
  • grapevine research

Keywords

  • wine grapes
  • wildfires
  • smoke exposure
  • economic impact
  • grapevine research
  • ARS research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: USDA Agricultural Research Service

Places: Davis, CA, California

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