Smoke taint is the Australian wine industry's greatest economic production risk, resulting in losses of over $1.6 billion since 2003, with the catastrophic bushfires in 2020 alone costing the sector an estimated $500 million in lost wine production.
A decade of research by La Trobe University, supported with funding from Wine Australia, has led to the development of an infield monitoring system that provides real-time assessment of smoke taint risk in vineyards, greatly reducing the stress for growers and winemakers that smoke events can cause.
How does it work?
The Wine Industry Smoke Detectors (WISDs), colloquially known as ‘wizards’, contain calibrated smoke sensors which continuously measure particles in smoke and link them to what we know about the effect of smoke on grape and wine chemistry. These measurements are transmitted to a central server that calculates a traffic-light risk rating for smoke taint which is reported back to the producer in real time on a mobile phone app or a dedicated website. At the moment WISDs also provide temperature and humidity data, and there is provision for custom sensors to be added.
Schematic of WISD data flow for real time indication of smoke taint risk
Even if smoke smells and looks bad, the WISD will tell you immediately whether there is a threat to your vineyard, displaying the risk in a traffic light format. This greatly reduces stress for grape growers and winemakers in a smoke event.
WISD risk prediction indicator
You need a lot of smoke for taint to develop. In most cases, the indicator will be in the green zone, meaning you can proceed with vineyard inputs, marketing your grapes and producing wine with confidence, even if your vineyard has been exposed to smoke. This, in turn, helps protect the reputation of individual brands and regions, and enables crops to be harvested that previously would have been dropped on the ground.
A reading in the yellow zone indicates some risk, allowing decisions to be made on whether to invest in laboratory grape testing and/or take action to minimise the risk of smoke taint in wine through vineyard management or winemaking strategies. Risk prediction in the red zone means that the wine will most likely be tainted, with little chance for remediation.
Can I be confident in the risk rating?
Measuring the impact of smoke and the risk of taint is difficult: no system is fool-proof. However, the risk calculation uses a model drawn from a vast database of over 2000 datapoints in smoke, grapes and wine which have been collected by La Trobe University researchers during more than 70 controlled burns and 10 major bushfires. This database includes 12 key varieties and over 130 research and commercial wines, assessed by an expert industry tasting panel.
The model links smoke dose to volatile phenols in smoke, phenol levels in grapes, phenol levels in wine and sensory outcomes in wines. It also incorporates the critical risk factors for smoke taint, including the amount of fresh smoke, burn conditions, distance from the burn, grapevine variety and the timing of exposure during the season.
Correlation of vineyard smoke exposure with sensory profile of wine and taint risk
Field testing and validation of the risk rating have been occurring for several seasons. Over 120 grape and wine producers in four states have successfully used WISDs to predict smoke taint risk from bushfires and controlled burns. Bushfire events in Victoria and Tasmania in 2024-25 allowed validation of the risk tool which showed excellent accuracy in predicting smoke taint risk and assisted in timely decision-making. In most cases, smoke taint risk was in the green zone, and producers were able to pick their crop and successfully make non-tainted wine. Normally these grapes would have been dropped on the ground.
In addition, smoke drift from the Grampians fire was causing concern in wine regions of SA and across Victoria. Although WISDs located in SA showed a spike in smoke dose, the traffic light risk rating needles were clearly in the green zone, indicating no risk of smoke taint. Wine Australia issued a bulletin to affected regions in February 2025.
You can watch a video of Ben Thomson (Best’s Wines) speaking about his experience with WISDs in the Grampians bushfire here.
Wine Australia is also developing some case studies of how WISDs have helped other grape and wine producers in real life bushfire and controlled burn situations. They’ll be posted here when they’re ready.
What’s the latest?
A commercial partner, Goanna Ag, has been engaged to progress the WISD system to market. Wine Australia is continuing to support Goanna Ag and La Trobe University in validation, development and commercialisation activities, and in industry engagement.
The three organisations were recently successful in securing a grant through Australia’s Economic Accelerator program. The funding will accelerate transition of the WISD system to full commercialisation through Goanna Ag, allowing widespread adoption throughout key wine-growing regions in Australia.
How can I find out more about WISDs?
- Read the most recent R&I News article: Harnessing the power of a ‘wizard’ to assess smoke taint risk a step closer | Wine Australia
- Read about the most recent research project: Validation and scale-up of a national smoke taint prediction service for the Australian wine industry | Wine Australia
- Read about the prototype smoke sensor network in NE Victoria: North-East Victoria vineyard smoke sensor network | Wine Australia
- Get in touch with Goanna Ag: Goanna Ag
