Wine awareness growing in China

February 3, 2015, 9:50 pm

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Wine awareness in China continues to grow at a rapid rate and Australia must ensure it positions itself as a premium rather than commercial producer. This is the key finding from Wave 3 of the AGWA-funded China Wine Barometer project, recently completed by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science at the University of South Australia. Investigators Dr Armando Maria Corsi, Professor Larry Lockshin and Dr Justin Cohen report a noticeable increase in consumer awareness in wine in little more than a year since the completion of Wave 1. “Chinese consumers have more ideas about wine now compared to a year ago,” Dr Corsi said. “Even the commercial perception is going up, but not as much as the premium, and that is important. “In terms of how Australia is perceived, in the first wave we probably would have said we were on the border between premium and commercial, but last year there was a slight increase in terms of the premium, which is a good sign.” Dr Corsi notes, however, that other nations are in a similar boat and it’s important for Australia to communicate the right messages and to stay away from price-based promotions. “We also cannot ignore the fact that demand for imported wine is falling (though Australia’s decline is modest compared with Old World producers) and the Chinese are becoming more aware of their own industry.” For the second time Ningxia, which is considered China’s premium wine producing region, was included in the research, and this time it exceeded even Bordeaux in terms of consumer awareness. “China doesn’t yet have a high premium perception. Most people know it makes more commercial wines, but they do recognise wine is made in their country. It’s something we have to consider for the future because it’s not just about competing with other imports.” Sicily, Provence, Burgundy and Loire all showed marked growth in terms of consumer awareness, with Bordeaux, Barossa Valley and Napa Valley declining. Positively, Australian wine is recognised as fashionable, easy to drink and palatable, with red wines available in popular varieties. Australia is also securing a higher than expected level of repurchase, suggesting that consumers who try Australian wine like it and buy it again. The research showed that having tried a wine previously is the most important element driving the choice of wine on-premise, followed by wine and food matching and the recommendation of a dining companion. Waiters or sommeliers have negligible impact. Dr Corsi said growing consumer interest highlighted the need to expand sales and marketing efforts beyond fine dining restaurants and to look at the potential in Tier 2 cities such as Chengdu, Shenyang, Wuhan, Hangzhou, and Chongqing, rather than just the obvious targets of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. “I wouldn’t say Tier 1 cities are saturated but they are more consolidated, so trying to break through and change perceptions about what is good wine and who makes it can be quite hard,” he said. “Focusing on Tier 2 or even Tier 3 cities means moving into newer territory where wineries have the chance to write the book of what makes a good wine and set expectations for future consumption.” The full report of Wave 3 will be released in the near future. Wave 3 built on Wave 1, and includes specific findings about on-premise purchases. The investigators recently completed data collection for Wave 4, which (like Wave 2) has a similar focus on off-premise purchases.  

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Tap on the shoulder – Future Leaders 2015

February 9, 2015, 7:26 pm

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It’s never been easier to apply to be part of the Australian wine community’s Future Leaders program – or to encourage others to do so. To help get the word out to as many people as possible, the dedicated Future Leaders 2015 website allows you to tap someone on the shoulder via email, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Google+. You don’t even need to think up the words – they are there waiting to be sent. “I’m sure most people in the sector know someone who would be perfect for the program but simply don’t get around to mentioning it,” said AGWA’s Anne Duncan, who is coordinating the program. “This is an easy way to pass on the information as well as your support and enthusiasm.” Future Leaders 2012 graduate Katherine Brown, who is based at Brown Brothers’ winery in the King Valley, says encouraging people to get involved is particularly important in smaller regions where it can be hard to find mentors or develop networks. “My cousin Eliza was part of the second intake in 2007. She told me the opportunity to meet new people and learn about the different facets of the industry was one of the real strengths of Future Leaders and I found the same thing,” Katherine said. “I took so much out of the program. You’re sharing time and ideas with winemakers, viticulturists, marketers and administrators from all states and from companies big and small, and these are people who care about the industry and where they want it to go. “We stay in touch regularly, if we’ve got questions or just want to swap thoughts.” Katherine, who after five years in sales and marketing with the family business has just started work as an assistant winemaker, said the program was extremely well regarded. “Everyone I speak with is positive about it. There’s a feeling not only that we need more younger leaders in the industry but also that we need to expose younger people to concepts that challenge their thinking and allow them to look outside the industry for ideas and strategies.” Swinging Bridges’ winemaker Tom Ward, who was part of the third Future Leaders intake in 2009, states quite clearly that “I wouldn’t be where I am” without the Future Leaders program. “I have been very lucky; I have been to university and I have been a part of the Len Evans Tutorial but Future Leaders was the biggest game changer for me,” he said. “It taught us to run our businesses well, to be strategic in the workplace, but also to expand our thinking beyond day-to-day issues. You work out people’s value sets and learn about your own.” Tom, who is the current President of the NSW Wine Industry Association, not only stays in touch with his fellow graduates, but has formed a “mini-Board” with three of them. He, Brad Wehr, Ashley Radcliffe and Toby Bekkers meet three to four times a year, despite the geographic spread of their businesses. “We found we were constantly in touch asking questions that it made sense to formalise it in some way,” he said. “We don’t make decisions for each other, but we talk through the issues and put ideas forward.” The Future Leaders program is funded by the sector and coordinated by AGWA with support from WFA and WGGA. “In 2015, there will be a greater focus on bringing in ideas from outside the sector, on encouraging participants to develop and run with concepts, and on new communications approaches, including social media,” Anne said. It is planned that one of the five sessions will be delivered on-line, with a second likely to involve regional clusters. The first session is scheduled to begin on 9 June. For information and on-line applications go to http://www.futureleaders15.com

Andreas Clark appointed Australian Grape and Wine Authority CEO

February 10, 2015, 5:53 pm

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Australian Grape and Wine Authority (AGWA) Chair, Brian Walsh, today announced that Acting CEO Andreas Clark has been permanently appointed to the role, effective immediately. Mr Walsh said, “We’re pleased Andreas has agreed to continue in this key leadership role. Andreas’ professional background, deep knowledge and experience in the organisation and the sector make him well qualified to lead AGWA and its activities. Andreas has done an excellent job since the commencement of AGWA on 1 July 2014 ensuring seamless delivery of services to the sector, recruiting senior leaders in the Market Development team and driving the current consultations for the 2015–2020 Strategic Plan. “Andreas was selected following a comprehensive recruitment process and I congratulate him on this appointment.” Mr Clark said, “I’m honoured to have the opportunity to lead AGWA as we support the Australian grape and wine community achieve sustained prosperity. I look forward to continuing to deliver outstanding service and results for the benefit of our levy payers.” Mr Clark joined Wine Australia (one of AGWA’s predecessor bodies) in 2006 and held a number of senior management positions, including the role of Chief Executive Officer from September 2013 to July 2014. He has been AGWA’s Acting CEO since July 2014. Prior to joining Wine Australia, Andreas was a diplomat with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and a commercial lawyer. [Ends] For further information please contact: Abbey Flanagan—Australian Grape and Wine Authority Communications Coordinator Phone: 08 8228 2000 Mobile: 0401 082 124 Email: abbey.flanagan@agwa.net.au About the Australian Grape and Wine Authority The Australian Grape and Wine Authority (AGWA) supports a competitive wine sector by investing in research, development and extension (RD&E), growing domestic and international markets and protecting the reputation of Australian wine. AGWA is funded by grape growers and winemakers through levies and user-pays charges and the Australian Government, which provides matching funding for RD&E investments. AGWA is a Commonwealth statutory authority established under the Australian Grape and Wine Authority Act 2013 that commenced on 1 July 2014.

New approach to measuring powdery mildew

February 11, 2015, 4:07 pm

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A free app to help identify and measure the presence of powdery mildew on grapes and grapevines should be available to the Australian wine community by next vintage. Researchers in a University of Adelaide-led project have begun second-phase testing and are seeking volunteers to put the new software through its paces this vintage and suggest improvements. The initiative, which is supported by a number of wine companies, is part of a broader AGWA-funded project looking to establish objective measures for assessing powdery mildew. “An app is something people have been thinking about for a while now and the industry reference group has been very supportive,” said Professor Eileen Scott, Deputy Head of the University’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine. “While our primary focus is on developing objective molecular and spectroscopic measures for powdery mildew, we all acknowledge that assessing disease visually in the field, and sometimes also at the winery, is going to be with us for some time. “The aim is to create a simple tool that will allow assessors to capture information more accurately and efficiently in the vineyard and improve their disease recognition skills.” The development model can be used on an iPhone or iPad, and a version for Android devices will be created. The information component of the app is reasonably straightforward, although there are software smarts behind it. Assessors simply input the patch details and their estimate of the percentage of powdery mildew present on each bunch being assessed. The screen displays the number of bunches assessed, the last five assessments, and constantly updated figures for the total incidence (number of bunches deemed affected) and severity (calculated from the average of the scores for the amount of the surface of the bunch affected). All results are stored and can be emailed from the device as CSV or XML files. Just as important are the training components. An image bank containing a mix of photos and computer-generated images helps users familiarise themselves with various disease patterns and severities, while a self-testing tool marks their assessment of a range of provided scenarios and indicates whether their tendency is to over- or under-estimate infection severity. Powdery mildew is hard to assess because it appears indiscriminately and the fungus can be hard to see in less than perfect light, or it can be confused with dust or spray residue. Scarring on a grape may be caused by powdery mildew or by simple physical damage. And while rain may wash away the spores, the damaging hyphae are left on the surface. “Powdery mildew also can mean different things at different times of the season,” Professor Scott said. “If a grower sees it on leaves or very young berries early in the season, there’s the opportunity to adjust their spray program to eradicate the infection and prevent further damage, but close to harvest it can mean a downgrading of fruit quality.” Professor Scott said most wineries had thresholds of tolerance for powdery mildew (usually 3–5% of the bunch area affected) and it was important for growers to produce grapes that met a winery’s requirements. The other side of the project is using techniques such as mid- and near-infrared spectroscopy to determine exactly how much powdery mildew is present on grapes. Professor Scott said the disease’s impact on wine was caused by a combination of the physical presence of the fungus on a grape’s surface and the impact of the infection on the quality of grape itself, but the contribution of each was not yet clear. A lot also depended on the winemaking style and how the grapes were handled. “There isn’t really a specific marker for powdery mildew yet. In earlier research, we found that affected grapes have increased content of phenolics, hydroxycinnamates and flavonoids, but these components can also be elevated in response to other diseases, insect attacks and physical damage. “We do know that the grapes change biochemically, but we don’t yet know how much of a difference there is between having one heavily diseased bunch and all of the rest being healthy, and having a light infection spread across a lot of bunches. We don’t know how that affects wine quality.” If you are interesting in being part of the new trial, please contact Professor Scott at eileen.scott@adelaide.edu.au.

Trials show the impact of oxygen

February 11, 2015, 4:07 pm

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Small but important steps are being taken in the quest to better understand how early oxygen exposure during winemaking might influence wine style, improve fermentation efficiency and prevent reductive odours. Researchers from the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) have released the results of their first pilot-scale winery trials looking at how different amounts of oxygen enter passively into must depending on how winemaking is undertaken. AWRI Research Scientist Dr Martin Day and colleagues used two pressing modes (inert and aerobic) and two forms of post-pressing handling (reductive or oxidative) to create four distinct wines from the same Chardonnay grapes, allowing the effects of oxygen timing to be closely examined. Both variables were shown to impact on a wine’s final chemical composition and sensory characteristics, in this case potentially affecting floral and citrus characters. “For juices prepared through normal (i.e. aerobic) pressing, no significant differences were introduced through the choice of post-pressing handling method,” the researchers say in an article prepared for the February 2015 edition of Grapegrower & Winemaker magazine. “This seems to suggest that, at least for Chardonnay, there is little need to invest so much time and money protecting juice and fermenting wine from oxygen, if the wine is made with aerobic pressing. Other white varieties may behave differently so caution should be used before throwing out the dry ice altogether. “On the other hand, if a juice is produced by inert pressing then sufficient phenolics remain to be affected by further oxygen exposure during normal handling. Inertly-pressed juices therefore need continued protection through reductive handling, if oxidation is to be avoided.” In the next phase of the work, during the 2015 vintage, the researchers will focus on making deliberate but controlled oxygen additions during fermentation. The trials are part of an AGWA-funded project, led by Dr Day, to investigate the effects of early oxygen exposure, develop tools for monitoring oxygen exposure, and provide practical advice on methods to introduce oxygen during winemaking. Fact sheets covering these last two topics are now available from the AWRI website. Complementary small-scale laboratory experiments are also being carried out by AWRI Senior Research Scientist Dr Simon Schmidt. This work is seeking to understand how oxygen addition during fermentation affects yeast, and what the impact of this is on wine flavour. “We already know that oxygen helps yeast perform better as fermenters. Only small additions of oxygen early in fermentation are required for this: adding more doesn’t give a bigger boost. In contrast, the production of flavour compounds by yeast depends on both how much oxygen is added and when it is added,” Dr Schmidt said. “The eagerly-awaited forthcoming vintage trials are a good way of seeing how the outcomes of these lab experiments work in practice at a working winery.” Related information:

• AWRI Factsheet: Ways to introduce oxygen into an active red ferment

Getting to the heart of smoke taint’s impact

February 11, 2015, 4:07 pm

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How and why smoke taint affects wine remains one of the unknowns of winemaking. What is known is that bushfires can be a major problem for wine regions in Australia, the US and South Africa in particular. It is estimated that smoke taint from the 2007 fires in north-eastern Victoria cost the wine sector more than $300 million. Research under way at the University of Adelaide is seeking to understand the chemical processes that occur in smoke-affected grapes, with a view to identifying what, if anything, can be done to reduce the impact of smoke taint. PhD candidate Lieke van der Hulst is working with the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and the Australian Genome Research Facility on the project, with funding support through an AGWA scholarship. The first step was to decide which of the many directions to take and the answer was to go back to first principles. “We know so little about how this works in the grape that until we know what the specific triggers are we can’t go back and work out how to respond in any situation,” Lieke said. Trained in biotechnology and biochemistry in The Netherlands, Lieke was working as a cellar hand for Primo Estate and Wirra Wirra until last year, when the opportunity arose to apply her academic background to an industry and an issue she found fascinating. “I really wanted to work on smoke taint because I’m not from Australia and I’m intrigued by the weather extremes here,” she said. “At Primo, I spent a lot of time in the vineyard and it was interesting to see what temperature differences and weather influences do to the grapes. “I started reading up on smoke taint. It’s a bit of an enigma for grape growers because you don’t pick anything different when you taste the grapes; only as you start making wine and fermenting and breaking down the sugars do you notice the impact. “That just drew me in. I’m really interested in seeing how that works.” Previous research has shown that smoke-derived volatile phenols accumulate in the leaves and fruit of grapevines by binding to sugars. Some of these sugars are broken down during fermentation, which releases the smoke taint. Some are not broken down until later, however, which results in the gradual emergence of taint over time. What is not clear is how the length of smoke exposure, the density of the smoke, the source material or the time of the year affects this process. Before Lieke can try to answer those questions, she needs to try to understand exactly what happens in the grape when it is exposed to smoke. That answer may make the others irrelevant if it throws up options for intercepting or intervening in the process. Previous research has shown that specific enzymes (glycosyl transferases) are part of the process. Lieke’s suspicion is that a stress response guides these enzymes. “I am applying my knowledge in molecular genetics to see if this suspicion is correct – no work has been done on this yet.”

Vineyard trials help build resilience

March 18, 2015, 9:43 pm

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The Barossa Grape & Wine Association (BGWA) has set up three demonstration vineyards as part of its ongoing Creating Resilient Landscapes initiative, with funding from AGWA’s Regional Program. The idea is to “show not tell” growers and winemakers how modern viticultural techniques can boost soil health for more consistent yields, reduce traditional inputs and potentially improve fruit quality. “One or all of these outcomes can improve vineyard resilience and profitability – and that’s vital for a sustainable wine industry,” said BGWA Viticultural Development Officer Nicki Robins. “In preparation for the hotter, more extreme weather that’s predicted, by improving soil management, growers can combat the highs and lows in yield due to seasonal influences. This results in more consistent production and therefore increased vineyard profitability.” The trial blocks at Light Pass, Vine Vale and Ebenezer are each between 0.6 and 0.8 hectares – large enough for a harvesting ‘cut’, so when the grapes are made into wine the Trial can be kept separate from the Control (the grower’s current practice). At one vineyard, only 40 hours of irrigiation was used on the Trial rows, compared with 144 hours on the Control.  These savings were achieved by laying mulch under vines and applying irrigation based on canopy health (condition of tendrils and shoot tips) as opposed to a regular calendar schedule. “The yield is slightly lower on the Trial rows, however the winemakers have reported improvement in fruit quality that may, down the track, result in a higher grade for the grower – as well as the money saved on water and pumping costs,” Nicki said. “To improve soil condition, we’ve laid Jeffries Dura Mulch under vine, which has a 5-7 year lifespan and ongoing soil health benefits as soil carbon levels build up.  In addition, all the vineyards have mid-row swards, which are important for beneficial microbes to feed on and create ‘pathways’ for water and nutrients to enter the soil. “We’re also trialling different mid-row grasses. The idea is to find grasses that suit the vineyard’s soil type so they don’t rob the vines of water during the growing season but still provide infiltration benefits.  Native grasses such as Wallaby Grass are ideal, as they switch off when the vines switch on.” Nicki said that while growers couldn’t influence seasonal variability, they could adopt better soil management practices that would result in more consistent, sustainable production and better profitability. With rising water and electricity costs, improved soil health would also reduce growers’ reliance on these increasingly scarce resources. “Improved soil condition improves porosity, aeration and structure, which reduces the need for irrigation and combats problems such as compaction and salinity,” she said. “It also significantly reduces reliance on chemicals, fertilisers, fuel and machinery used for operations.” The BGWA hopes to set up three more trial sites with funding from AGWA’s 2015/16 Regional Program. For more information, contact Nicki on 8563 0650 or nicki@barossa.com

Taking steps towards lower-alcohol wines

March 18, 2015, 10:27 pm

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Cristian Varela’s research, funded by AGWA, is still a work in progress, but it has recorded two impressive milestones. The first – in which he and colleagues at the AWRI used a non-Saccharomyces yeast strain to reduce the alcohol level of Shiraz by 1.6% – made news in such publications as Scientific American. Recently the team was able to decrease alcohol by 1.8% in both Shiraz and Chardonnay, while also dealing with an issue to do with off-flavours. Now they just have to replicate that outside the laboratory. Dr Varela, a senior research scientist, has been working with colleagues in Australia, Chile and Spain to study the ability of non-conventional yeasts to naturally produce lower-alcohol wines that are still full in flavour. The first stage was to determine which of around 50 strains had the most potential. Metschnikowia pulcherrima stood out, particularly in sequential inoculation with the commonly used wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. That approach was needed to give M. pulcherrima the best chance to have an impact. Many non-Saccharomyces strains fail to finish fermentation because they struggle to compete with S. cerevisiae, which is both fast and strong. The results were the 1.6% ethanol reduction in Shiraz and a 0.9% ethanol reduction in Chardonnay (though this was accompanied by an unwanted increase in ethyl acetate). A key difference between the Shiraz and Chardonnay ferments was that the Chardonnay juice had previously been treated to remove all other microbes, but the Shiraz had not. “We then decided to dig a little bit deeper to try to find the difference between these two,” Dr Varela said. “To do that we looked at population dynamics – at what strains were present in those ferments.” The next step was to compare a range of Shiraz ferments including a wild ferment and one that was inoculated with M. pulcherrima. The key discovery was that when the M.pulcherrima died away it wasn’t S. cerevisiae that took over, but S. uvarum. When all three of these yeasts were later used together on juices that had been treated to remove other microbes, the ethanol level in both Shiraz and Chardonnay was reduced by 1.8%, and analysis suggested that the Chardonnay was no longer suffering issues with ethyl acetate. The researchers have now begun pilot-scale trials at the Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory on the Waite Campus in Adelaide. “Now we need to work with bigger volumes and with naturally-occurring yeast and bacteria coming from the grapes in the mix, to see if the two non-conventional strains are still able to deliver the goods,” Dr Varela said. “Sometimes things that work in the lab don’t work in the real world, if only because of the larger volumes. Temperature could be an issue or wild yeasts might have a negative impact. If the non-conventional yeast strains aren’t able to grow we won’t see the reduction in ethanol. “If there is a reduction in ethanol then we have to look at sensory profile of those wines to make sure the ethanol reduction hasn’t negatively affected flavour. If there isn’t a drop in ethanol, that will make us think again – what can we do to make the growth of those two strains easier? “The ultimate aim is to translate this into something that winemakers can use to make lower alcohol, full-flavoured wines.”

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Pruning trials move into second round

March 19, 2015, 6:26 pm

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A new season of trials is underway in South Australia as part of an AGWA-funded project investigating the impact of temperature and pruning time on vines, grapes and wine. Scientists from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) are conducting experiments on Barossa Shiraz throughout the 2015 vintage, at both the Nuriootpa Research Centre and in a Treasury Wine Estates vineyard at Marananga. The aim is to test whether late pruning is a viable option for ‘decompressing’ harvest and maintaining wine quality in the hotter, drier conditions that are likely to prevail in the future. “We are looking at the effects of pruning the vines in early spring rather than in winter so that flowering and fruit set are delayed and harvest would then coincide with cooler conditions in February,” said SARDI crop scientist Dr Victor Sadras. The trials during the 2014 vintage produced some promising findings. In both vineyards, some vines had been pruned the previous winter and others in spring, in both cases at 2-3 unfolded leaves. At Nuriootpa, pruning time was combined with two thermal treatments – one at ambient temperature and the other at a raised daytime temperature generated using open-top chambers to enclose the vines. Grapes were picked at a targeted total soluble solids (TSS) of 25 °Brix (14 °Baumé), around 12 March 2014. At Marananga, grapes were picked on the basis of TSS, ripe flavours and tannins; winter-pruned vines were harvested on 4 March and spring-pruned vines on 17 March. Experimental batches of wine (10 litres of each) were made and tasted at an industry workshop in November 2014. Wines were assessed for 24 attributes divided into six categories (colour, aroma, taste, flavour, body and tannins, and aftertaste). The panel considered that wines from winter-pruned vines showed more intense colour, bitterness, and earthy and savoury flavours than those from spring-pruned vines when the vines had been grown at ambient temperature, and showed more alcoholic aftertaste when the vines were grown at higher daytime temperatures. Heated vines pruned in winter produced wines with less colour, more intense red fruit flavours, less body and tannin when compared with wines from current temperature vines. Heated vines pruned in spring produced wines with less colour, black and ripe fruit aromas, saltiness and sweetness when compared with wines from the ambient temperature trials. At Marananga, it was also noticeable that wines made from winter-pruned vines showed less intense sweetness and ripe flavour but more acidity when compared with those from spring-pruned vines. “These findings have a seasonal component that requires further evaluation, and that will form a part of trials in 2015 and 2016,” Dr Sadras said. A second industry workshop will be held later in the year

AWRI launches “eBook” library

March 19, 2015, 6:54 pm

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The AWRI’s new “eBook” library, aimed at making information resources more accessible, is now available to all industry levy payers via the AWRI website through AGWA funding Currently, there are 37 eBooks in the collection and the AWRI’s Library and Information Services Coordinator, Michael Downie, says that number is growing, with new eBooks purchased and added to the library on a regular basis. The subject areas covered include viticulture (Botrytis: biology, pathology and control by Yigal Elad and co-authors), winemaking (Authentic Wine: toward natural and sustainable winemaking by Jamie Goode and Sam Harrop MW) and wine marketing (Wine and identity: branding, heritage, terrior by Matt Harvey, Leanne White and Warwick Frost). The collection is available to all Australian levy payers and is accessed using levy payers’ existing AWRI website login details. Those who don’t have a login or who have forgotten their password can easily setup a new login. After that it is a simple process of viewing the eBook list and selecting a title to view or “borrow.” eBooks can be read on screen or downloaded to a desktop computer or a mobile device. A short tutorial on YouTube is provided to help new users get started. Downie said that in making its first purchases for the library the AWRI had focused on materials that were practical rather than research-focused. “We want to provide for industry and in particular for people who can’t come in and borrow hard copy resources,” he said. “We do post out books but this is just so much more accessible. The idea has been in the works for some time.” For further information about eBooks or to submit suggestions on eBooks to add to the collection, please contact the AWRI Information Services Team.

Microbiology holds the key to better wastewater treatment

March 19, 2015, 7:07 pm

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Everyone wants to pay less for wastewater management. That’s the rationale and motivation behind an AGWA-funded project looking at ways to make winery processes more effective and efficient. For the past year a University of Adelaide team led by Associate Professor Paul Grbin and chief investigator Dr Kathryn Eales has analysed samples collected regularly from four Australian wineries with biological wastewater treatment plants, while also keeping a watching brief on 32 others. The aim is to integrate commonly collected information, such as chemical practices, with a detailed study of the microbiology underpinning all the processes and look at this in terms of actual operational practice. The ultimate goal is to develop guidelines or new tools that can be adopted in the winery. The first stage has involved getting a handle on exactly what’s going on. “From early December to the end of April we sample the four winery plants every fortnight and do a full suite of chemical analyses and micro analyses, which hasn’t really been done before,” A/Prof Grbin said. “Then we look specifically at what’s happening in terms of the populations of micro-organisms across that peak period and then, post-vintage, look at individual plants. “We’ve been through one full cycle of that analyses, from pre-vintage to quiescent period to now, where we’re in the peak period again, and what we’re seeing is changes in the populations of micro-organisms depending on the time of year and depending on the plant. “Through this project, and work we’ve done previously, we’ve that noticed that a group of organisms seems to be more problematic than others and so we’ve brought in a PhD student who is specifically looking at this set of organisms.” The four wineries – Casella and Southern Estate Wines in Griffith, and Yalumba’s Oxford Landing and Pernod Ricard’s Rowland Flat winery in the Barossa – are part of the project because of the nature and scale of their wastewater systems and “because we know they are really interested in learning how to do things better.” The research team also includes two consulting engineers from JJC Engineering and a CSIRO environmental toxicologist. Others at the CSIRO are providing analytical services. The results to date are not surprising but are very instructive. “We expected to find quite a broad range of microbes present in winery wastewater and that’s indeed the case; there is diversity and there are significant differences between the treatment plants,” A/Prof Grbin said. “So the results confirm some of our hunches with actual data. “One new approach we’ve taken is using meta-genomic analysis to have a powerful tool to investigate the variations in populations and enable us to compare across different plants. “That data is brand new; it’s never been collected for winery wastewater before. For us its pretty exciting to see how that might pan out and give us some clues about how to tweak the systems to make them perform better.”

Climate change focus in clonal trials

April 9, 2015, 8:27 pm

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Dr Michael McCarthy’s latest research is testing his logistical skills as much as his scientific knowledge. As lead investigator for a major AGWA-funded project assessing clonal variability in Chardonnay and Shiraz, he has to ensure that seven trial sites across three states are picked at similar maturities and that all small lot wines are prepared using similar protocols. That means getting fruit from the Riverland and Barossa regions, as well as Armstrong, Drumborg and Mt Langi Ghiran in Victoria, to Adelaide’s Waite Campus for processing – often at short notice. WA fruit from Margaret River and Great Southern is sent to Bunbury, where after primary fermentation it also finds its way to Waite for finishing and bottling. The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) will then undertake sensory assessment of all wines of both varieties for three vintages (2014–16), as well as sequencing selected Shiraz clones to establish clonal relationships and evaluate genetic diversity across clones. The project has two aims. The first is to improve our understanding of how clones can contribute to wine style and which clones are best suited to which regions. Dr McCarthy, Principal Scientist Viticulture with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), believes a lack of such knowledge is a major reason why industry uptake of different clones has been slow. ‘With the Australian wine industry seeking more complexity and regional differences in wines, there is the opportunity to demonstrate that clones may bring another level of interest in wines’, he said. Even more importantly, the research is investigating how knowledge of clonal variability can help the industry prepare for future climate change. ‘The Australian industry is fortunate in that, due to a number of factors, vineyards have greater longevity than in a number of other countries,’ Dr McCarthy said. ‘However, if climate change projections prove correct, vineyards planted now will experience warmer and probably drier conditions throughout their lifetime. ‘The challenge, therefore, is to know which clones should be planted now for this future. Can we use existing differences in the present climate between geographically separated sites as a surrogate for climate change and gain some insights about how clones may perform in this future climate?’ The four-year project, which began in June 2013, is evaluating clones from mature field plantings. A standard set of viticultural observations is made for all clones at each site and data loggers record canopy temperatures during the growing season. Nearby automatic weather station data is used to describe regional climate. Dr McCarthy says progress to date has been ‘incredibly smooth’ due in no small part to the enthusiasm of everyone involved. Drumborg suffered an unexpected cold snap in 2014, but all other sites were harvested and the wine processed. Sensory analysis of the Chardonnay was conducted late last year and the Shiraz early this year. The researchers are currently working through the AWRI’s reports. All sites were harvested this year and the 2015 wine is now being made by Michael Coode at the Waite Campus and Richard Fennessy, from the WA Department of Agriculture and Food, in Bunbury. The project’s other main collaborators are viticultural consultants Libby Tassie (SA), John Whiting (Victoria), and Dr Simon Schmidt from the AWRI. In collaboration with the AWRI, two wine tastings will be available for Victoria in May. For more information about Clonal tasting and Shiraz benchmarking workshop to be held on May 12, 2015, click here. For information about next generation planting material workshop on May 14, 2015, click here. Tastings in other regions are planned for later in the year.

Research highlights impact of Korean FTA

April 9, 2015, 8:28 pm

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New AGWA-funded research has highlighted the opportunities and challenges for Australian wine in South Korea following the recent signing of the Korea–Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA) between the two countries. Academics from the University of South Australia believe the wine industry has a ‘small but definite window of opportunity’ to make its presence felt, but caution that benefits will not flow simply because the previous 15 per cent import tariff has been removed under KAFTA. Associate Professor You-il Lee, from the University’s Business School, said Australia should follow the lead of Chile, which developed effective marketing activities to capitalise on its free-trade agreement. Chile is now the second biggest wine provider to South Korea, with a 22 per cent share of a market that has grown by 350 per cent since 2000. A/Prof Lee and Dr Richard Lee from the University’s Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science undertook interviews, surveys and focus groups as part of the research project, which showed that Australian wine lacks a presence and profile in Korea. On the up-side, they note that during the free trade negotiations there was a steep increase in interest in Australian wine among Korean importers and distributors. The latest information from the Wine Australia export approvals database shows that over the first quarter since the KAFTA came into force, the total volume of wine exported was down — however, there is strong growth in the upper price segments. Comparing the first three months of 2015 to the first three of 2014, the above A$10 per litre segment increased by 40 per cent and the A$7.50 to A$9.99 increased by 98 per cent. A/Prof Lee also will present the research findings and participate in discussions about both the South Korean and Japanese wine markets during a webinar to be run jointly by AGWA and Wine Communicators of Australia this Tuesday (14 April). The webinar is free and registrations will be open until COB on Monday (13 April). For more information or to register, click here. The project’s final report can be downloaded here. AGWA funds a number of projects that address specific market access issues, as well as research for strategic positioning of the Australian sector to maximise opportunities. This complements its broader mandate to monitor trade issues and barriers, help negotiate arrangements to improve market access and streamline exporting requirements, and build relationships with regulators and wine industry bodies around the world.

The benefits and costs of alternative viticulture

April 9, 2015, 8:29 pm

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Organic and biodynamic viticulture is good for soil, grapes and ultimately the quality of wine – but in the current environment it comes with a potential financial penalty for growers. That is the key finding of a recently completed six-year project carried out in McLaren Vale by researchers from the University of Adelaide. It was funded by AGWA, with in-kind support from Gemtree Wines, the McLaren Vale Grape Wine & Tourism Association, Peats Soils and others. With organic and biodynamic practices forecast to grow at more than 11 per cent per annum, the project set out to determine its relative sustainability compared with both low-input and high-input conventional viticulture. The trial was carried out within a 10 hectare planting of 20-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Initially, it was intended to run for just three years to assess the effects of converting from conventional management to organic and biodynamic management as part of a PhD project undertaken by Luke Johnston. It was extended after changes in soil and vine parameters did not become apparent until the third year. The final report – prepared by chief investigators Chris Penfold and Dr Cassandra Collins and collaborators Prof Petra Marschner and Assoc Prof Sue Bastian – concludes that while winegrape production is one of the easiest forms of primary production to manage organically or biodynamically, the achievable yields are frequently lower and production costs higher. During the trial, yields for organic, biodynamic and low-input conventional viticulture were 79, 70 and 91 per cent respectively of the yields achieved with the high-input conventional viticulture treatment, due to weed competition for soil moisture in the undervine zone. This outcome was reflected in the gross margins analysis, which showed the organic, biodynamic and low-input conventional viticulture systems generated 74, 65 and 91 per cent of the financial return per hectare of the high-input conventional viticulture system. Higher operating costs associated with the use of tillage for under-vine weed control also contributed to this result. In this calculation there was, however, no premium applied to the prices received for organic and biodynamic fruit. Depending on region these may be up to 100 per cent, which helps compensate for the lower yields and increased production costs. The researchers note that for some growers, other aspects of winegrape production – such as improvements to soil and wine quality – are more important than financial returns. In this project, sensory evaluation by a panel of local viticulturists and winemakers found significant benefits for wine quality once organic and biodynamic practices have had time to have an impact. Panellists noted little difference between wines made in 2010 (the first year wines were made from the trial) but for the following four years, organic and in particular biodynamic wines were consistently described as being more rich, textural, complex and vibrant than low- or high-input conventional viticulture wines. ‘These findings support anecdotal evidence from winemakers who have used this language as a reason for why they have chosen to make wine from organically and/or biodynamically managed fruit,’ the report says. ‘How wine compositional changes relate to the textural changes perceived by winemakers in the wines made from these systems is yet to be determined.’ Important in the assessment of an agricultural system’s sustainability is its impact on soil properties. In the trial, the maintenance of plant growth undervine and use of tillage rather than herbicides for weed control generated more microbial carbon and larger earthworm populations. While not impacting on vine growth, the application of compost also had desirable impacts on soil quality. The final report is available here.

PGRs offer potential to control ripening

April 9, 2015, 8:30 pm

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Giving viticulturists the power to regulate grape ripening is a step closer to reality thanks to researchers at the CSIRO working on an AGWA-funded project. They have completed laboratory and field trials to highlight the potential to either delay or promote veraison, and thus the timing of harvest, by manipulating the plant growth regulators (PGRs) that co-ordinate berry development. The use of PGRs is common in horticulture, and in some other areas of agriculture, and has enormous appeal in the wine industry given that the impacts of climate change are already being felt across the country. Grapes of all varieties are ripening earlier, often causing ‘seasonal compression’ and winery bottlenecks that can lead to wastage, higher costs and reduced wine quality. The research team, led by Dr Chris Davies from the CSIRO Agriculture, set out to better understand the ripening process and the specific role of a variety of different PGRs. Their major focus was on those that can delay ripening – ethylene and, in particular, auxins. ‘Although the pathways targeted by auxins are yet to be determined, a detailed knowledge of auxin metabolism, both biosynthesis and breakdown, has been developed. We now know much about how auxin levels are controlled and why some auxins are more effective than others in controlling the timing of veraison,’ their report says. ‘New tools have been developed to study the effects of auxins, which have led to the possibility of novel, fit-for-purpose, synthetic versions.’ When the results were tested in a commercial vineyard, ‘substantial and predictable’ delays in ripening were demonstrated in both red and white wine cultivars in different vineyards, seasons and climatic conditions. ‘Apart from delaying harvest, other benefits have included an increase in the synchronicity of berry ripening,’ the report says. Research into the use of aminoethoxyvinylglycine, a naturally occurring amino acid, confirmed its ability to advance ripening by inhibiting the production of auxin and ethylene. When studying PGRs that don’t affect the timing of veraison but influence other aspects of berry development, the researchers found at least one that appears to be involved in controlling some aspect of the mid/late stages of berry ripening with the potential to be important to wine flavour and aroma. The relationship between sugar levels, hang time and berry composition was also studied. Importantly these showed that while extending hang time may not improve the positive aspects of wine flavour, it will reduce the concentration of negative flavours. The project’s report can be downloaded from here. A new AGWA project has commenced to follow up on these promising findings.

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Region in Focus: Tasmania

April 9, 2015, 8:31 pm

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Wine Tasmania held a successful field-day at the Jansz Parish vineyard in November as part of its AGWA-funded Regional Program activity. Jansz had expanded the vineyard with extensive new plantings. Participants were shown steel posts (Eco trellis) that were used throughout the expansion, along with certified planting material that will ensure good growth and reduce disease risk. Site selection and preparation were also topics of discussion, both critical factors in successful and sustainable viticulture, particularly in Tasmania where drainage and reducing frost risk are priorities. With Pinot Noir making up 45% of Tasmania’s vineyard area and used for both sparkling and table wine production, Nick Dry and Paul Smart presented at the field-day on the characteristics and benefits of using different Pinot Noir clones and rootstocks to manage flavour profiles, yield (both tonnes and temporal distribution), site issues and biosecurity. Participants saw how different clones and rootstocks were behaving on two vineyards and also tasted wines made from four clones across two different rootstocks. Tasmanian vineyards use nets to prevent damage and loss from birds. However the long ripening times in the region mean that the nets can be on for a very long time, so it is critical to have undertaken practices during the season to reduce disease risk. Presentations by experts from the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) provided a thorough understanding of the risks of diseased fruit, as well as the strategies and techniques that may be used to mitigate such a risk. Later in the year, Wine Tasmania will present sessions on water budgeting and yield stabilisation, including a hands-on session on bud dissection.

Mentoring trial aims to share wine sector knowledge

May 7, 2015, 10:26 pm

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AGWA is piloting a new mentoring activity designed to connect the wine sector’s people with new ideas. Mentoring circles have been established in two South Australian wine regions to test their potential to support the spread of knowledge and experience. Unlike traditional one-on-one mentoring, the approach is based around peer group support, in addition to mentor guidance. Groups of seven or eight work with a single mentor, which allows them to interact with and help each other while being connected to new ways of thinking. Winemaker and former GWRDC Chief Executive Dr John Harvey is the mentor in McLaren Vale, with wine industry consultant Peter Fuller playing a similar role in the Barossa. ‘Both regions were keen to get involved and we had encouraging interest from individuals wanting to be a part of it’, said AGWA’s Developing People Program Manager Anne Duncan. The program was developed in consultation with Dr Ann Darwin, a mentoring expert from the University of South Australia. ‘Mentoring can be valuable but there can be a high failure rate when working one-on-one’, Ms Duncan said. ‘Sometimes the mentor doesn’t have the time or exactly the right skills for the role and sometimes the two people just don’t get on. It is very much about personalities. ‘Peer group mentoring provides a very different dynamic, with more flexibility and a focus on introducing new ideas, building relationships and sharing knowledge’. During the 12-month pilot – which runs until July – each group must meet at least 10 times with their mentor, but can also get together without the mentor or arrange individual meetings. AGWA will assess the impact and success of the program in partnership with Prof Lisa Given, Professor of Information Studies and a member of the Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education at Charles Sturt University. Barossa Grape & Wine Association Viticultural Development Officer Nicki Robins is pleased with progress to date. ‘Over the past year, eight young Barossa vignerons have met once a month to share their goals and aspirations – as well as their problems and struggles’, she said. ‘They’ve encouraged, questioned and supported each other, and built a lot of trust within the group. By being able to openly share their ideas and experiences, they’ve discovered some amazing opportunities in their business and personal lives – which they’re now ready to run with so it’s quite a dynamic time for many of them’.

Wine education for young Chinese consumers

May 7, 2015, 10:27 pm

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New AGWA-funded research is providing important insights into the most effective way to inform and educate the next wave of Chinese wine drinkers. Wine marketing specialists at the University of South Australia’s Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science are in the final stages of a project examining how, and how quickly, young Chinese consumers learn about wine. It is one of three recent projects into the tastes, perceptions and behaviour of Chinese consumers carried out by Dr Armando Corsi, Dr Justin Cohen and Prof Larry Lockshin. In the latest study the researchers worked with groups of Chinese students in Adelaide who attended education ‘courses’ run like a wine club. ‘These students fit the demographic of an emerging wine consumer in China’, said Dr Cohen. ‘All were keen to learn more about wine; what we wanted to see was how the learning process plays out’. Each of three phases produced interesting results. In the first, two groups tasted and were educated about the same nine wines (three varieties of red, one from each of three regions) but one group’s course was structured around the regions and the other’s around the varieties. Based on the way the students were subsequently able to evaluate the wines, the regional structure seemed more effective. In this phase, and all subsequent phases, there was always a control group who undertook the wine evaluations without any education to guarantee rigour. In the second phase, two different groups received wine training by region of origin. However, the tasting terms and food pairings were either Western or Chinese (based on the research team’s previous work). ‘What we immediately noticed was that the Chinese-framed group was amazed that we had gone to the effort to relate wine to their cuisine, fruits, vegetables and spices – they were so much more engaged and interested’, Dr Cohen said. The research was also extended by asking the participants to write wine reviews and this was another measure of the effectiveness of education. ‘But when we analysed the impact of the wine education at the end of the course it seemed that the Western approach was slightly more effective. This might be due to the context; they were sitting in Australia and learning in English. We would like to replicate the study in China, using a Chinese educator’. The preliminary results from the third phase are perhaps even more instructive in terms of developing a sector approach to wine education in China. The standard program from the previous phases was extended to include a wine dinner at T Chow, a popular Chinese restaurant in Adelaide, where they were served the wines. Their learning was measured again in a realistic setting with the Chinese dishes previously discussed as suitable pairings. ‘What shocked us is how quickly they were able to improve their ability to communicate about wine after just a few sessions’, Dr Cohen said. ‘They started out with basic terms and writing just a few words but by the end of the course they were almost writing poetry about the wines because they were just that much more comfortable’. There is an early indication from the measurement in this phase of the research that just one wine session has a significant impact on learning. ‘That's important because the wine sector is trying to work out what is the best platform for delivering wine education – for example multi-session courses, or one-day events such as master classes’, Dr Cohen said. ‘By the end of the analysis of this project, which will take us a few months, we’ll be able to make some conclusions and advise on a structure for a wine education program.’

LAICanopy app to help optimise vine balance

May 7, 2015, 10:29 pm

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The old saying about ‘the value of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts’ comes to mind when talking with Cassandra Collins and Roberta De Bei about their current AGWA research project. With a team of colleagues from the University of Adelaide, Treasury Wine Estates and DJs Growers they are working to identify which vineyard canopy measures most accurately indicate optimal vine performance – while at the same time developing a smartphone app that will make recording those measurements commercially practical. Both endeavours are important and valuable in their own right, but if the two come together as planned it could be a game changer in terms of the sector’s ability to measure vine canopies and manipulate them to maximise grape quality. Dr Collins is Chief Investigator and Dr De Bei a Postdoctoral Research Fellow for the four-year multi-faceted AGWA-funded project, which is being run at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus and at six experimental sites in two states. As the first of several tools being developed, a smartphone app suitable for estimating leaf area index is due for release in the middle of the year. ‘It is the first part of the toolkit we want to develop’, Dr De Bei said. ‘It looks at the structure and vigour of the canopy and allows you to calculate some measures that are used to decide if a vine is in balance or not’. Dr De Bei and other collaborators Dr Sigfredo Fuentes and Prof Stephen Tyerman were involved with the app’s early development, which received seed funding through two previous funding programs (Wine 2030 and Vineyard of the Future). The key is algorithms originally developed in the forestry industry that analyse a photograph and provide an estimate of the leaf area index and canopy porosity. However, the code is too difficult and expensive for practical use. ‘The challenge has been getting code that’s been written for complex and expensive software programs and putting it into an iPhone or iPad that is easy to use and with us every day’, Dr De Bei said. The team hopes to be able to create an Android version of the app in the near future. While this work has been going on, others have been looking at where such a tool can be used to best effect in assessing quality in terms of vine balance through canopy measurements. The traditional way to measure vine balance is the Y/P ratio – the relationship between yield and pruning weight – but this is rarely done in commercial settings, because it is much too time consuming. An app would overcome that problem but the Y/P measure may, in fact, not be as important as previously assumed. Dr Collins said many other vineyard trials have thrown up confusing results with vineyards renowned for consistently producing fruit for top-quality, high-value wines being technically out of balance according to the Y/P measure. At the same time, an AGWA-funded project being carried out by Masters student James Hook in McLaren Vale is showing a strong relationship between harvest fruit grade and the ratio of leaf area index and yield. ‘In this project, James is assessing a number of vineyards that produce fruit of varying quality and there is a lovely correlation – I didn’t expect it to be so strong’, Dr Collins said. ‘There is also a correlation between these measures and fruit colour. ‘The more we look at all of our trials, the traditional Y/P measure for vine balance doesn’t hold up and this other measure may end up being more meaningful. We are about to analyse the second year’s data and if it holds as strongly as that first year, then I think we are going to feel even more that this is the way of the future’. Another facet of Mr Hook’s research will be to attempt to manipulate a given vineyard’s quality (for example from C grade up to B grade) by taking these measures and changing the canopy. Can it be done and, if so, at what part of the season? ‘A number of the tools we are looking to develop are around trying to measure early enough in the growing season to make a management decision to get to where you are trying to be in terms of quality or yield’, Dr Collins said. ‘The other side of this project is knowing how to use these tools. We hope we can get to the point where we can say “hey these are all the different ways that we have been able to use them and what they mean and how you might be able to use them in your business”, rather than just saying “here’s a tool, you work it out”. I hope we’re on track to do this’.

AWRI celebrates 60 years of research and technical support

May 7, 2015, 10:29 pm

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The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) recently celebrated 60 years of delivering research and technical support to the Australian wine sector. Since 1955, the AWRI has undertaken research that delivers practical outcomes back to the local wine sector. Some of the AWRI’s earliest research included discovering the source of lead in wines and the influence of fermentation conditions on the yield of ethanol. Sixty years later, the AWRI now employs 115 scientists, winemakers, viticulturists and technical staff and there are still strong links with these early areas of research to current projects including the effects of metals in wine and developing full-flavour lower-alcohol wines. AWRI Managing Director Dr Dan Johnson said that the organisation is proud of the scientific achievements it has accomplished over the last 60 years and how this has supported the Australian wine sector. ‘In the end all of the science comes down to supporting our wine community to make wines that consumers want to buy and enjoy drinking’, Dr Johnson said. ‘Many people and organisations have contributed to the AWRI’s 60 year history. I’d like to thank past and present staff and directors, our funding bodies (in particular the Australian Grape and Wine Authority) and our scientific collaborators across the world. ‘Most importantly, I thank the grapegrowers and winemakers of Australia and their representative bodies for their continuing support. We look forward to working with them on the next 60 years of scientific breakthroughs’.