Smoke Taint Insurance
Discover tailored and cost-effective smoke taint insurance policies for vineyards across Australia.
Get customised cover for smoke taint damage
As a winemaker, you take pride in the quality and potential of your grapes. You also need to convert those grapes into wine and ultimately earn money from your harvest – and ashy-tasting smoke tainted grapes just won’t sell too well, if at all.
Unfortunately, the risk of smoke taint is on the rise as climate change-inspired bushfires continue to rage throughout Australia’s wine regions each year. Securing coverage for grape smoke taint to date has been unobtainable and traditional policies won’t respond to such a loss.
The good news? With Ian Jones Insurance Brokers, you can rest easy knowing your grapes are covered should the unexpected occur. Whether you run a boutique cellar door in a local wine region or a global wine conglomerate, we have the expertise and insurance policies to protect your business from the financial loss associated with smoke taint damage. Whether it be tainted on the vine or the taint exposing itself on bottling, we can offer options to protect any financial loss.
Insure against smoke tainted grapes in 3 simple steps
1. The threat of bushfire to your vineyard will be modeled leveraging a combination of satellite imagery, long-term climate trends and advanced weather data.
2. Coverage will be customised to your unique needs in full collaboration with you, and based on predefined parameters like per hectare and a pre-agreed indemnity.
3. Your insurance provider will keep track of how these parameters evolve on a daily basis, using high-resolution satellite imagery and computer vision. If triggered, you will be swiftly notified and indemnified.
Advantages for your vineyard
With no exclusions of bushfire size, length or time, a parametric policy for smoke taint damage brings many benefits for grape growers and winemakers across Australia.
Tailored & adaptable coverage
Your policy will be structured for your exact exposures and mitigation measures, with a flexible limit and deductibles.
Confidence in your costs
Enjoy peace of mind with pre-agreed payout structures that are easy to apply. That means greater clarity and no onsite loss adjustment.
More transparency
Gain 24/7 access to insurance information, thanks to weather station IoT capabilities that enable data transmission and storage.
``Although smoke tainted flavours only affect one harvest, associated damage can impact the shoot length and yield of those that follow - often with devastating financial consequences. It is estimated that Eastern Australia’s 2019/2020 bushfires cost the wine industry $40 million as a result of smoke taint, scorched vineyards and slashed sales.``
What our clients say
Frequently asked questions
Smoke taint is a condition that affects the fruit of grape vines and causes unpalatable characteristics to the grape. Smoke exposure can greatly affect the taste and quality of the tainted wine.
Smoke taint occurs where a bushfire burns in the vicinity of a wine area and the smoke drifts throughout the crop. This smoke is then absorbed by the grape, resulting in a change in characteristics of the flavour of the fruit, leaving an ashy, burnt smoky flavour.
No, grape smoke taint cannot be treated. Once a grape has been tainted, the fruit retains the tainted characteristics and is rendered unsuitable for wine production. Generally it cannot be used.
Once a vineyard is blanketed in smoke from a nearby bushfire, volatile phenols produced by burning timber are absorbed by the fruit on the vine through the grape skin and into the grape flesh.
It only takes a relatively short period of time for a vineyard to be shrouded in bushfire smoke before the grapes become tainted and, obviously, the longer the crop is exposed to smoke the greater the effect.
However, fruit that has only minor exposure may still be used and most likely not detected by the consumer in the end product. Some may even say it is another characteristic level to the taste.
Yes, wine made from smoke tainted grapes can be consumed with no medical effect to the consumer. However, grapes and smoke are not a palatable pairing. If a wine was to be released containing smoke taint characteristics, it would not sell well and the damage to reputation of the winemaker and the label could be disastrous.
Yes, smoke tainted grapes can be insured. There are two variations of cover available. One is where the grapes themselves are chemically analysed by a laboratory and the direct level of taint is detected on the fruit, which can lead to the grapes being rendered unusable. The second is where the grapes are used and wine is produced but the bottled product is unsaleable due to the taint becoming more noticeable post production.