The timing could hardly be worse for Bordeaux’s wine sector, adding to challenges it is currently facing – from falling consumption to wider economic pressures. “Tourism was really the only dynamic part of the business that was still growing, both for us and, more generally, for Bordeaux wines,” winemaker Edouard Le Grix de la Salle told The Independent. The smoke taint debateAttention is also turning to the risk of “smoke taint”, a controversial issue in the wine world. Smoke taint occurs when compounds released by wildfire smoke are absorbed into grape skins. “There were certainly anxieties then and much talk of smoke taint.