Vineyard management: The allegation by winemakers that smoke from distant wildfires has affected the quality of wines is without basis. It is known that wine grapes readily absorb the compounds responsible for smoky aromas, but once inside the grape, they are almost immediately transformed by enzymes into forms that cannot be perceived by smell or taste. The Quality Control personnel from winemaker companies have themselves done the quality check before accepting the consignment.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the refutation of the winemakers' allegation that smoke affected the quality of wine?
A. Two wines that have the same amount of smoke compounds might taste very different.
B. Trusted winemaking techniques, such as filtration or using egg whites to remove unwanted chemicals, have failed to detect traces of wildfires.
C. The yeasts used for wine fermentation are able to regenerate the smoky aromas of compounds the grapes originally got exposed to.
D. When fermentation reactions convert wine grapes into wine, smoky chemicals, if any, automatically sublimate.
E. Ripening grapes bind smoky chemicals in a way that a smoke-tainted grape may seem no different from one not exposed to smoke.