Dayton winery unveils barbecue sauce that incorporates wine tainted by wildfires

A Dayton winery has come up with another use for a vintage negatively affected by wildfires that blackened over a million acres of Oregon forests four years ago.

Durant Vineyards recently unveiled its “Durant Pinot Noir Barbecue Sauce,” made from grapes that absorbed smoke from the catastrophic wildfires that struck the northwest corner of the state around Labor Day 2020.

“The winery is now turning lemons into lemonade — or in this case, wine into barbecue sauce — by creating 5,000 bottles of this limited-edition condiment,” a release from the winery said.

The sauce was the developed by the winery’s culinary director, Eric Bartle, who combined allspice, clove, smoked chipotle chilis, black pepper and the tainted wine into a concoction that he described “as the perfect complement to summertime’s grilled and smoke foods, from pork baby back ribs to charcoal-grilled salmon or mushrooms.”

The sauce represents one winery’s attempt to salvage something from the disastrous 2020 vintage.

“The 2020 wildfires had a huge impact on wineries across Oregon, with many losing significant portions of their harvest to smoke taint,” said Paul Durant, owner of Durant Vineyards. “Rather than let our 800 cases of wine go to waste, we decided to get creative and craft a delicious barbeque sauce that highlights the fruit-forward notes of the pinot noir, as well as the subtle smoky undertones from the wildfires. This barbeque sauce is our way of making the most out of a challenging situation.”

Durant joins other local wineries that have adapted the tainted wine to another use, including Patricia Green Cellars, which distilled its wine into brandy and then combined it with a whiskey to create a smooth sipping drink.

The limited edition Durant Pinot Noir Barbeque Sauce is being sold in 12-ounce bottles for $12 and is available for purchase on the Durant website and, soon, at select local retailers.

The winery also intends to direct 5% of sales to the Dayton Fire District, which will use it to fund an emergency medical technician training course underway to better equip the district to serve the community.