The Jancis Robinson Story | Mission Blind Tasting | Wine writing competition

Smoke gets in your eyes

Bushfire smoke in Sydney in December 2019

A cool assessment of the effects – both marked and negligible – of Australia's recent bushfires. This pall of bushfire smoke hung over Sydney Harbour as early as last December.

The fires are out. The rains have come. But as the 2020 grape harvest rumbles on across south-eastern Australia, winegrowers are still coming to grips with the drama of this growing season.

I reported here on the catastrophic fire that swept through the Adelaide Hills just before Christmas. Over the following couple of weeks, the fires caused more destruction in pockets of wine country: 19 vineyards lost in the Tumbarumba...

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