The tool can predict the seasonal vine phenological stage and associated susceptibility of the vine to smoke uptake and effect on wine. This tool can also be applied in prescribed burning decisions.
The Smoke Taint Risk calculator STAR uses a growing-degree-day phenology model based on temperature to predict the seasonal grapevine growth stages for different wine grape varieties. Inputs can be entered at any time during the season to generate the predicted smoke taint risk for key varieties in any growing region in Australia. STAR integrates this information to produce a time series graph of predicted smoke taint risks.