WEEKS of smoke-thickened air have taken an unrelenting toll on the crop that held the hopes of Yea vignerons Sylke Rees and David Miller.
The owners of Rees Miller Estate feel fortunate that the fires did not reach their property, but are lamenting what looks to be the loss of their entire vintage to smoke taint.
"We have had an analysis done on our grapes and due to smoke taint problems we will be unable to make any wine this vintage," Ms Rees said.
"Our grapes were in the stage of veraison, when they change colour and ripen, meaning they were even more susceptible to the damage of smoke."
Ms Rees said the pair had netted their vines prior to the fires to protect their crop from birds.
But they now hoped that once the netting was removed, the grapes would be eaten after all - to save them the cost of picking.
"It's a real wrench for a family business," she said.
"In 2002 we lost 25 per cent of our fruit to fires. In 2007 we lost all of our fruit to frost and last year it was powdery mildew.
"This year we have probably lost around a quarter of a million dollars."
Ms Rees said that as a child growing up among the vineyards of the Rhine Valley of Germany she was "captured by the romance of wine growing".
"But I am starting to realise it is everything but romantic," she said.
In the adjacent Yarra Valley wine region, opinions differ on how much of a problem smoke taint will be this vintage.
Yarra Valley Wine Growers Association president Tony Jordan said so far it looked as though taint would not be a major issue.
"So far so good, in spite of some of media comments, the sparkling, white wine and pinot noir are all looking good," Dr Jordan said.
"I am not saying there will not be increasing problems, this will depend on which way the wind blows in the next few weeks," he said.
