Highlights of the Year 2001
- The outcomes of the Institute’s major wine closure
trial were analysed 20 months post-bottling and submitted to the
Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research for
publication with expected publication of the 42 page article in
mid July 2001.
- Flavour scalping studies showed a very large differential in
the rate of disappearance of known wine aroma compounds when
stored in ‘bag in box’ containers.
- The terminology developed by our sensory panel and
collaborators to characterise the mouthfeel of red wines is
gaining acceptance as a ‘mouthfeel wheel’ by
researchers and winemakers worldwide.
- Gram quantities of nine different tannin fractions from grape
seeds and grape skins for sensory evaluation were isolated and
characterised using HPLC and electrospray mass spectrometry
followed by sensorial assessment by a tasting panel over an eight
week period.
- Combined laboratory and industry-based winemaking trials,
coupled with chemical and quantitative sensory descriptive
analysis, continued to demonstrate the potential of S.
bayanus, Candida and new hybrid yeast as positive
modulators of wine sensory characteristics.
- A laboratory model system for predicting the effects of
fermentation yeast on malolactic bacteria has been developed to
enable selection of the most appropriate combination of strains
to provide greater reliability of malolactic fermentation.
- The Institute secured strong private financial support from
Lallemand to boost our research on the effect of wine yeast on
red wine phenolic compounds.
- The Institute paid its final instalment of its $250,000
donation to the Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory
and conducted a series of triplicated ferments on a commercial
scale to study the effect of winemaking practices and yeast
strains on colour, mouthfeel, flavour and aroma of both white and
red wines.
- Successful organic synthesis of a high-yielding precursor to
the ubiquitous wine flavor compund ß-damascenone was
achieved as a first step to understand its formation from non
odoriferous grape precursors.
- Organic synthesis disproved the structural assignment of an
oak lactone precursor which has been assumed for more than 20
years.
- Our Analytical Service increased its turnover and recorded an
increase in contract research as well as a very large demand for
analyses for 4-ethylphenol, an indicator of Brettanomyces
activity which may be more widespread than initially
assumed.
- A double modification of a laboratory yeast by means of
molecular biology gives a remarkable demonstration of the power
of the technology and it is demonstrated that the genomes of
commercial wine strains are quite different to those of
laboratory strains.
- Formal ‘Roadshow’ visits were made to SA and Vic
in November and December 2000 (see Appendix 1). Senior Institute
staff presented seven full-day seminars, each seminar consisting
of a minimum of twelve presentations focussing on current areas
of Institute research, or topical issues in the wine
industry.
- Institute staff authored/co-authored 37 publications; gave 35
seminars/talks (excluding the Roadshow seminars above); presented
11 workshops; presented 3 posters; gave 38 lectures and
supervised 36 students during the year.
- Institute staff hosted more than 113 international visitors
to the Institute during the year including five visiting
scientists on extended stay.
- The new website of The Australian Wine Research Institute @
www.awri.com.au was launched including an extensive
educational/troubleshooting section on wine hazes and
deposits.
- Requests for information from the John Fornachon Memorial
Library staff increased by 108% over requests received in
1999/00.
- The 14th Advanced Wine Assessment Course was held
in July 2000, giving another 30 participants the opportunity to
develop and test their sensory evaluation performance. This was
the second Course presented under a four-day format, which
includes over 40 hours of activities over the four days and a
contribution by more than ten senior Australian wine show
judges.
- Institute staff responded to more than 4,400 enquiries in
relation to wine industry matters.
- The human capital of the Institute is further enhanced by
qualification of one additional staff member for the PhD degree,
by qualification of one additional staff member for the
Postgraduate Diploma in Oenology, by recruitment of a
distinguished German scientists to lead our tannin project and by
the recruitment of a PhD qualified chemist with almost two
decades of experience in the wine industry.
