Wineries In San Joaquin Valley Charged With Creating Smog....

The wine making process apparently produces ozone, a key component of smog, that has been choking San Joaquin Valley, California's main wine producing region.

Wineries have come under scrutiny because the fermentation process that turns grape sugars to alcohol releases ethanol, methanol and other organic compounds into the atmosphere, where they react with sunlight and heat to form ozone, one of the components of smog, air regulators said.

With the region producing roughly 70 percent of California's table wine, that results in 788 tons of pollutants a year.

Some of the charm of California is the smog. What would California be but just another beautiful state if it didn't have awful smog?