Steric Introduces New Approach to Smoke-Affected Wine

Steric Systems Inc., developer of a non-additive beverage processing technology used across wine and distilled spirits, is helping wineries manage the flavor impact of wildfire smoke. The company’s system changes the flavor expression of smoke-affected wine, helping winemakers reduce the level of conventional treatment needed to maintain commercial viability. 

Smoke exposure can introduce volatile phenols in their bound and unbound forms into grapes and wine, contributing to smoky, ashy, medicinal, bitter and lingering sensory characteristics. Conventional approaches can include fining agents, activated carbon, reverse osmosis, membrane technologies and blending. These treatments can be effective, but may require multiple interventions and can affect desirable aroma, fruit, mouthfeel and structure along with the characteristics being targeted. 

The Steric Process uses precisely controlled electromagnetic fields to reorganize molecular interactions within the wine matrix without filtration or additives. When applied to smoke-tainted wines, the process reduces the sensory perception of smoke-related flavors and aromas. This enables winemakers to achieve their desired result with smaller quantities of fining agents, fewer treatment cycles, and less intensive use of other technologies, while preserving more of the wine’s intended character.

“Smoke taint is just one of the complex challenges wine producers face in today’s marketplace,” said Bobby Moy, winemaker at RJP Wines in Napa, California. “Steric has enabled me to reduce the time, effort and cost of creating highly commercial wines from grapes increasingly impacted by environmental factors.” 

Steric is working with winemakers around the world to quickly evaluate smoke-affected wines, reducing total treatment time and the need for additional processing. The technology provides wineries with a faster, more cost-effective approach designed to preserve the integrity of the wine and protect margins already under pressure from global economic conditions and changing consumer behavior. 

“Smoke-affected wine presents a difficult problem because the objective isn’t simply to reduce the smoke characteristics — it is to do so without losing the character of the wine the producer intended to make,” said William Fay, CEO of Steric. “Steric offers a way to address both challenges at once — reducing the sensory impact of smoke while preserving the character of the wine, and doing so at the scale commercial wineries require.”

About Steric 

Steric Systems Inc. is the producer of high-volume, non-additive beverage processing technology using precisely controlled electromagnetic fields to modify molecular interactions within liquid products.  Developed through more than eight years of R&D and scientifically validated by leading chemistry researchers, Steric’s award-winning process has been successfully applied to wine, bourbon, whiskey, rum, tequila and vodka, including work with some of the world’s largest global beverage alcohol brands.