Ray Isle
ON THE RECORD · 5 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“It can be a big problem,”
Ray Isle · said date not stated · reported 2026-07-31
Isle commented on the potential problem facing France's wine industry amid the wildfires near Bordeaux.
“You're gonna have wine that tastes like licking an ashtray.”
Ray Isle · said date not stated · reported 2026-07-31
Isle warned that lingering smoke sticking to crops could ruin the taste of the resulting wine.
“The big problem in terms of financial damage is that three years down the line, when these red wines are released, people are gonna remember … that the whole place caught on fire,”
Ray Isle · said date not stated · reported 2026-07-31
Isle argued the lasting financial damage may come from consumer memory of the fires when red wines are later released.
“The grapes right now are right between when they turn from green to red, and that's the worst time for smoke to hit them,”
Ray Isle · said date not stated · reported 2026-07-31
Ray Isle explained that grapes near Bordeaux are at a critical stage of color change when smoke exposure is most harmful.
“an effect on people's willingness to buy wines,”
Ray Isle · said date not stated · reported 2026-07-31
Isle added that mental images of the fires could affect consumers' willingness to buy wines from the region.