UBCO outreach event shows how chemists probe the effects of smoke on wineries

The University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) held a chemistry outreach research event Monday night, featuring three topics and three speakers.

As the Okanagan prides itself on its wine, it was one of the main topics at the research event.

The Okanagan is also known for its wildfires and Wesley Zandberg, associate professor of chemistry at UBCO, has been conducting research into how the smoke affects vineyards.

“For the past six years or so, I’ve been looking at using the tools of analytical chemistry to attempt to predict how smoke exposure may or may not affect subsequent wine quality,” Zandberg said.

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Zandberg and his team have been working with vineyards across the valley, researching methods on how to detect smoke-tainted wine and how to prevent it from having a huge effect on the grapes.

“We’re motivated, of course, by trying to help grape producers understand if there may be a risk of producing an objectionable wine from smoke-exposed grapes. There’s not always a risk it doesn’t guarantee — smoke exposure doesn’t guarantee there’s going to be a problem and how we can make an informed decision on whether to pick a crop or not,” Zandberg said.

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He said the average customer may not know of this problem, as the smoke-tainted wine may never hit the shelves.

“At the end of the day, if a winery feels like their product is not sellable or not suitable for consumers because of smoke exposure, they simply will not put it on the market. They don’t want to lose their customers,” Zandberg said.

Also on the docket Monday night, keynote speaker Molly Shoichet brought research to reality in the form of clinical trials.

“As hard as it is to develop and invent something new in the lab, it’s actually harder to manufacture it,” said Shoichet, a professor at the University of Toronto.

The professor also spoke about her research on tissue repair for strokes, blindness and the regeneration of the spinal cord.

The other topic of the night was the delivery of UBCO’s introductory chemistry course.