The Australian Wine Research Institute

The Australian Wine Research Institute Blog

eNews – June 2021

30 June 2021 >

Citizen science project empowers students to seek out new yeasts

Bushfire and smoke videos available

Brush up on your pruning skills

Sustainable Winegrowing Australia – now is a great time to join

Save the date – the 18th AWITC will be held in Adelaide, 26-29 June 2022

18th AWITC – call for workshop convenors

Register now for winter webinars

Order the latest staff publications online

Acknowledgements

Citizen science project empowers students to seek out new yeasts
The AWRI was recently awarded a grant from the Australian Government under the Citizen Science Grants Round 2 Program. The funded project will engage school students to act as citizen scientists, isolating yeasts found in the Australian environment and contributing to a significant collection of yeast strains. With yeast and other fungi playing a key role in industries such as baking, brewing, pharmaceuticals and biofuels, this project has potential to contribute to future agricultural and food production and the transition to a bio-based economy. Students will also be introduced to real-world scientific research methods and gain an understanding of microbiological and molecular techniques. AWRI scientists are very excited to be involved in this project, both from the perspective of what it will reveal about distribution of yeasts across Australia and the opportunity to inspire future scientists. For more information about this project, contact Dr Anthony Borneman on 08 8313 6600 or anthony.borneman@awri.com.au.

Bushfire and smoke videos available

New videos have recently been added to the AWRI’s YouTube channel to assist wine producers with different aspects of managing smoke-affected fruit. These include a step-by step guide to conducting mini-ferments, a smoke sensory assessment procedure and an animation about why rigorous sensory evaluation is so important in cases of suspected smoke taint.

Wine Australia has also recently uploaded all the presentations from the National Bushfire Conference held in May. If you missed Dr Mark’s Krstic’s national overview, Dr Mango Parker’s presentation on early-season smoke exposure, Damian Espinase Nandorfy’s discussion of smoke sensory evaluation or Dr Eric Wilkes’ presentation on smoke taint diagnostics, they are all now available, along with the rest of the excellent presentations delivered on the day.

Brush up on your pruning skills
Last year the AWRI worked with Nick Dry from Foundation Viticulture to produce three demonstration videos on grapevine pruning. If you’d like to refresh your pruning skills this season or help guide novice pruners, check out these videos now:

Sustainable Winegrowing Australia – now is a great time to join

For vineyards and wineries that are not yet members of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, now is a fantastic time to join the program, as it’s the time of the year when members collate and provide their sustainability data, leading to the availability of highly useful benchmarking reports in October and the compilation of regional and national reports. If you are interested in joining, sign up here to receive a short email series with tips to help you get started or join straight away here.

In other sustainability news, the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia working group has been busy reviewing the program’s metrics and workbook to ensure the content is simple, best practice, practical to apply and nationally relevant. In addition, the workbook is now aligned with the vineyard and winery certification standards, which means that it can be used as an internal audit or ‘checklist’ of things to do when preparing for or maintaining certification.

The Sustainable Winegrowing Australia trust mark is also starting to show up on wine labels – keep an eye out for it! Margan Family Winegrowers, Rymill Coonawarra and Yalumba Wine Company are some recent examples of members who are now displaying the trust mark on their wines. A selection of wines showing the trust mark were also recently part of a promotion for Sustainable Winegrowing Australia held in collaboration with Freshcare at the Hort Connections conference and exhibition in Brisbane.

For more information about any aspect of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, visit the new website or contact the AWRI helpdesk on helpdesk@awri.com.au or 08 8 313 6600.

Save the date – the 18th AWITC will be held in Adelaide, 26-29 June 2022

It’s hard to believe, but it’s now less than a year until the Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference returns to Adelaide! Next year’s program will feature Outlook sessions, plenary presentations, hands-on workshops, Fresh Science, an extensive poster exhibition and the popular student forum ‘In the wine light’. The conference will be staged side-by-side with the extensive WineTech trade exhibition, delivered in partnership with Expertise Events and WISA. There is also a strong social element to the conference, with plenty of opportunities for networking. Make sure the dates of 26–29 June 2022 are locked in your diary, as you won’t want to miss the Australian wine industry’s biggest technical event. For more information visit the AWITC website or contact the Conference Manager, Kate Beames on kate.beames@awitc.com.au.

18th AWITC – call for workshop convenors

p>The Australian Wine Industry Conference is seeking expressions of interest to convene workshops at the 18th AWITC in Adelaide in June 2022. Approximately 30 workshops will be staged, covering a range of themes, across three 2.5-hour sessions on Sunday, 26 June 2022.

Being a workshop convenor is a rewarding experience and can be a relatively straightforward commitment. As a convenor you will take the primary responsibility for organising your workshop with guidance from the AWITC workshop team. You will also receive one complimentary registration to the conference.

To express your interest in convening a workshop, please complete this application form before 13 August 2021. For more information, please contact the AWITC workshop coordinators, Con Simos and Francesca Blefari, on 08 8 313 6600 or workshops@awitc.com.au.

Register now for winter webinars

The AWRI’s winter webinar series kicks off on Thursday, 8 July, with a presentation from Jeremy Giddings and Peter Henry on irrigation systems. This will be followed by webinars on wine provenance, the National Vintage Report, trunk diseases and Sustainable Winegrowing Australia. Visit the AWRI webinar page for more details and to register for upcoming webinars.

Order the latest staff publications online

Accessing the latest AWRI publications is easy. Visit the AWRI Publications web page to:

  • View the 10 most recent AWRI staff publications and order the articles online from the AWRI Library
  • Search the staff publications database
  • Read the full-text of ‘Technical Notes’ from Technical Review (PDF format)
  • Read the full-text of ‘AWRI reports’ and ‘Vineyards of the world columns’ published in Wine & Viticulture Journal (PDF format)
  • Read the full text of ‘Ask the AWRI columns’ published in Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker

The AWRI’s most recent publications are listed below.

2225 Modesti, M., Szeto, C., Ristic, R., Jiang, W., Culbert, J., Bindon, K., Catelli, C., Mencarelli, F., Tonutti, P., Wilkinson, K. Potential mitigation of smoke taint in wines by post-harvest ozone treatment of grapes. Molecules 26(6): 1798; 2021.

2226 Pitcher, L. Ask the AWRI: Organic and sustainable production. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (688): 94-95; 2021.

2227 Jiang, W., Parker, M., Hayasaka, Y., Simos, C., Herderich, M. Compositional changes in grapes and leaves as a consequence of smoke exposure of vineyards from multiple bushfires across a ripening season. Molecules 26(11): 3187; 2021.

2228 Pearson, W., Schmidtke, L.M., Francis, I.L., Li, S., Hall, A., Blackman, J.W. Regionality in Australian Shiraz: compositional and climate measures that relate to key sensory attributes. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. doi: 10.1111/ajgw.12499: 1-14; 2021.

2229 Schulkin, A., Smith, P.A., Espinase Nandorfy, D., Gawel, R. A little dissolved CO2 goes a long way in a wine glass. WBM US 28(5): 16, 19-20, 22, 24; 2021.

2230 Cordingley, B. Ask the AWRI: Torulaspora delbrueckii – An ancient yeast creating new wines. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (689): 64-65; 2021.

2231 Xing, F., Gao, D.H., Wang, H.Q., Zhang, Z.X., Habili, N., Li, S.F. Molecular characterization of rose spring dwarf-associated virus isolated from China rose (Rosa chinensis Jacq.) in China. Arch. Virol. 166(7): 2059-2062; 2021.

2232 Pearson, W., Schmidtke, L., Francis, L., Li, S., Blackman, J., Carr, T., Krstic, M. Shiraz terroir – linking regional sensory characters to chemical and climate profiles. Wine Vitic. J. 36(3): 36-39; 2021.

2233 Dry, P. Trincadeira. Wine Vitic. J. 36(3): p. 67; 2021.

2234 Varela, C., Cuijvers, K., van den Heuvel, S., Rullo, M., Solomon, M., Borneman, A., Schmidt, S. Effect of aeration on yeast community structure and volatile composition in uninoculated Chardonnay wines. Fermentation 7(2): 97; 2021.

2235 Zhang, X.Y., Kontoudakis, N., Wilkes, E., Scrimgeour, N., Hirlam, K., Clark, A.C. The removal of Cu from wine by copolymer PVI/PVP: Impact on Cu fractions and binding agents. Food Chem. 357: 129764; 2021

Acknowledgements

The AWRI acknowledges support from Australia’s grapegrowers and winemakers through their investment body, Wine Australia, with matching funds from the Australian Government. The AWRI is a member of the Wine Innovation Cluster in Adelaide, South Australia.

New version of winemaking calculator app

28 June 2021 >

28 June 2021

The winemaking calculators app is one of the AWRI’s most popular tools. It takes the guesswork out of a whole range of calculations needed during wine production, including conversions, additions and label requirements.

The app has recently undergone a refresh and a new version is now available. The updated app includes a new Total Package Oxygen calculator and an improved Fining Trial calculator.

The app is free to download from the Apple app store or Google Play.

Existing users of the winemaking calculators app are asked to delete the app from their devices and download the new version.

For assistance or further information, please contact the AWRI helpdesk on helpdesk@awri.com.au or 08 8313 6600.

 

Agrochemical update June 2021 – New ‘Dog book’ available

23 June 2021 >

23 June 2021


The 2021/22 edition of Agrochemicals registered for use in Australian viticulture (the ‘Dog book’) is now available. The updated ‘Dog book’ can be viewed via the online pdf. Distribution of hard copies will begin in July and a copy will also be included with the July issue of Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker.

To receive a hard copy of the ‘Dog book’ in the mail, please provide your contact details to the AWRI at http://www.awri.com.au/dog-book or scan this QR Code:

This agrochemical update summarises the major changes in the 2021/22 ‘Dog book’ compared with the previous version.

New active constituents

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has recently approved the use of the following active constituents in wine-grape production:

EUGENOL, GERANIOL, THYMOL

APVMA 87197: ‘Novellus’ is a Sipcam product registered for control of botrytis bunch rot in grapevines. It is an activity group 46 fungicide.

Recommended restriction on use (withholding period) for grapes destined for export wine: Use no later than E-L 25, 80% caps off.

FLUOPYRAM + TEBUCONAZOLE

APVMA 87841: ‘Luna Experience’ is a Bayer Australia product, registered for control of botrytis bunch rot and powdery mildew in grapevines. It contains activity groups 3 + 7.

Recommended restriction on use (withholding period) for grapes destined for export wine: Use no later than E-L 17, 12 leaves separated; inflorescence well developed, single flowers separated.

TEBUFENOZIDE

APVMA 88780: ‘Ecdypro 700 WP’ is an Imtrade Australia product, registered for control of light brown apple moth in grapevines. It is an activity group 18 insecticide.

Recommended restriction on use (withholding period) for grapes destined for export wine: Use no later than E-L 25, 80% caps off.

New active constituent combinations

PYDIFLUMETOFEN + FLUDIOXONIL

APVMA 88887: ‘Miravis Prime’ is a Syngenta Australia product registered for control of botrytis bunch rot in grapevines. Application for botrytis bunch rot will also control powdery mildew. It contains activity groups 7 + 12.

Recommended restriction on use (withholding period) for grapes destined for export wine: Not recommended for use on grapes destined for export wine.

METALDEHYDE + FIPRONIL

APVMA 87832: ‘Transcend’ is an Imtrade Australia product registered for control of European earwigs, Portuguese millipedes, slaters, snails and slugs in grapevines. It is a group 2B insecticide bait.

Recommended restriction on use (withholding period) for grapes destined for export wine: Contact your winery or grape purchaser prior to the use of a group 2B insecticide.

New targets

SPINOSAD

APVMA 88118: ‘Entrust Organic’ is a Corteva Australia product registered for control of grapevine moth and light brown apple moth in grapevines. It is a group 5 insecticide.

Recommended restriction on use (withholding period) for grapes destined for export wine: Use no later than E-L 31, berries pea-size (not > 7 mm diameter).

PETROLEUM OIL

APVMA 59091: ‘Biocover’ is an AgNova product registered for control of powdery mildew on grapes.

Recommended restriction on use (withholding period) for grapes destined for export wine: Use no later than E-L 31, berries pea-size (not > 7 mm diameter).

Changes to withholding period (WHP) recommendations for export wine

MANCOZEB

The restriction on use for products containing mancozeb is now ‘Use no later than E-L 25, 80% caps off.’ This also applies to products that are co-formulated with mancozeb or products that are required to be mixed with mancozeb such as dimethomorph.

Correction – Page 7

Copper sulfate tribasic + mancozeb is incorrectly listed under the E-L 31, berries pea size (not > 7 mm diameter) restriction. This should be listed on page 6, with the restriction ‘Use no later than E-L 25, 80% caps off’.

Limits applied to number of sprays for export wine

GROUP M3: MANCOZEB, METIRAM, PROPINEB, THIRAM, ZINEB and ZIRAM

Apply no more than three sprays per season.

Note that the limit of three sprays per season includes when Group M3 fungicides are co-formulated with other active constituents such as metalaxyl (-M).

CHLOROTHALONIL

Apply no more than three sprays per season.

CYPRODINIL

Apply no more than one spray per season.

FENPYRAZAMINE

Apply no more than one spray per season.

Chemical resistance management strategies

CropLife Australia resistance management strategies are under review and minor changes are expected for the coming season. The resistance information specific to botrytis bunch rot, downy mildew and powdery mildew provided on pages 15 to 18 in the online pdf linked in this eBulletin has last season's strategies. These will be updated in July. For information about CropLife Australia resistance management strategies visit http://www.croplife.org.au. CropLife can be contacted on 02 6273 2733 or info@croplife.org.au.

Table of registered products

Products/active constituents that are underlined in the tables of registered products (pages 20 – 26) are those that are restricted for use by some wineries/grape buyers. It is recommended that prior to the use of any underlined product, growers should contact their winery or grape purchaser.

For more information or to request a copy of the new ‘Dog book’, please contact Marcel Essling on 08 8313 6600 or email helpdesk@awri.com.au.

This information is provided to inform the Australian grape and wine sector and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any product.

Technical Review June 2021 issue available online

10 June 2021 >

10 June 2021

The June 2021 issue of Technical Review is now available online. Articles and abstracts can be viewed individually, or the full issue can be downloaded. The online format of Technical Review allows you to browse the list of the latest articles on grape and wine production by keyword, view article summaries and order journal articles from the AWRI Library.

For copyright reasons, access to abstracts is available only to Australian winemakers and grapegrowers who pay the Wine Grapes or Grape Research levies. The technical notes authored by the AWRI are, however, freely available. If you have forgotten your password for the AWRI website, please use the forgotten password link to reset your password.

Below is a snapshot of what's in this issue:

AWRI Technical Notes
AWRI publications
  • Ask the AWRI: use of elicitors in viticulture
  • Volatile aroma composition and sensory profile of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon wine produced with novel Metschnikowia pulcherrima yeast starter cultures
  • A burning need: developing a rapid screening method for smoke-affected grapes and wine
  • Applying genomics to grapevine clones
  • Aeration of Vitis vinifera Shiraz fermentation and its effect on wine chemical composition and sensory attributes
  • Ask the AWRI: how much sulfur dioxide (SO2) is needed at bottling?
  • Grapevine salt tolerance
Current literature – oenology
Current literature – viticulture

eNews – April 2021

30 April 2021 >

A new look and website for Sustainable Winegrowing Australia

Preparations underway for National Wine Sector Bushfire Conference

Water management resources

Towards a rapid test for smoke

Grant to develop biosensor for smoke analysis

Order the latest staff publications online

Acknowledgements

A new look and website for Sustainable Winegrowing Australia
A refreshed website has just been launched for Sustainable Winegrowing Australia – the national sustainability program for Australia’s grapegrowers and winemakers. Visit http://www.sustainablewinegrowing.com.au to learn more about the program and the benefits of membership. If you’ve been thinking about joining, don’t hesitate! Sign up here to receive a short email series with tips for how you can benefit from becoming more sustainable and prepare yourself for membership. If you would like to speak to someone about Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, contact the AWRI helpdesk on helpdesk@awri.com.au or 08 8 313 6600.

Preparations underway for National Wine Sector Bushfire Conference

A number of AWRI staff are preparing to take part in the National Wine Sector Bushfire Conference on 25 May. Managing Director, Dr Mark Krstic will provide a national overview of the fires that occurred during the 2020 vintage and their impact. Dr Eric Wilkes will describe techniques used for testing grapes and wines for smoke and comparative results between different laboratories. Damian Espinase Nandorfy will discuss smoke taint sensory evaluation, including good practices to improve the rigour and reliability of in-the-field assessments. Dr Mango Parker will provide the latest results from her research on the impacts of early-season smoke exposure.

This free conference coordinated by Wine Australia, Australian Grape & Wine, ASVO and the AWRI. will cover bushfire preparedness, smoke effects and recovery from fire to ensure that grapegrowers, winemakers and businesses are better prepared for future bushfires. The National Wine Sector Bushfire Conference will be held at locations in Hahndorf, Sydney, Wangaratta, Stanthorpe, Hobart and South Perth. Register now: wineaustralia.com/national-wine-sector-bushfire-conference.

Water management resources

Water is a valuable and limited resource for grapegrowers. To support growers to manage their irrigation water most effectively, the AWRI has developed a new water management webpage. Visit http://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/viticulture/water-management/ to access a wide range of resources on topics including vineyard water use efficiency, water management plans, irrigation scheduling and irrigation system monitoring and maintenance. The webpage will also be updated regularly with activities and resources developed as part of an irrigation efficiency practice change project being conducted by the AWRI, in collaboration with Wine Australia and the inland irrigated wine-growing regions. For more information, contact the AWRI helpdesk on 08 8 313 6600 or helpdesk@awri.com.au.

Towards a rapid test for smoke
Testing grapes or wine for evidence of smoke exposure involves the use of complex analytical instruments to determine the concentration of a range of volatile phenols and glycosides. Interpretation of results then requires comparison with background levels of these compounds in non-smoke-exposed grapes. Overall, this requires a relatively high level of technical expertise and it can take around 10 days before results are available. A rapid screening test that could be used to determine the impact of smoke exposure would therefore be extremely valuable for the wine industry. AWRI Commercial Services has recently completed a project investigating the potential for using mid-infra-red spectroscopy to perform rapid screening for smoke compounds. The work was published in the Autumn 2021 issue of Wine & Viticulture and is available online here: A burning need: developing a rapid screening method for smoke-affected grapes and wine.

Grant to develop biosensor for smoke analysis

The AWRI is a partner in a collaborative project, with QUT and CSIRO, that has recently been awarded an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant to develop protein-based biosensors for phenolic glycosides. The goal is to generate selective biosensors and devise a simple portable test for smoke compounds that can be performed in the vineyard or the winery. This is the first time this type of technology will be applied to a problem in the wine industry. For more information, visit: https://www.qut.edu.au/research/article?id=174988

Order the latest staff publications online

Accessing the latest AWRI publications is easy. Visit the AWRI Publications web page to:

  • View the 10 most recent AWRI staff publications and order the articles online from the AWRI Library
  • Search the staff publications database
  • Read the full-text of ‘Technical Notes’ from Technical Review (PDF format)
  • Read the full-text of ‘AWRI reports’ and ‘Vineyards of the world columns’ published in Wine & Viticulture Journal (PDF format)
  • Read the full text of ‘Ask the AWRI columns’ published in Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker

The AWRI’s most recent publications are listed below.

2214 Essling, M. Ask the AWRI: Use of elicitors in viticulture. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (686) : p. 35; 2021.

2215 Varela, C., Bartel, C., Espinase Nandorfy, D., Bilogrevic, E., Tran, T., Heinrich, A., Balzan, T., Bindon, K., Borneman, A. Volatile aroma composition and sensory profile of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon wine produced with novel Metschnikowia pulcherrima yeast starter cultures. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. doi:10.1111/ajgw.12484: 1-13; 2021.

2216 Mierczynska-Vasilev, A., Bindon, K., Gawel, R., Smith, P., Vasilev, K., Butt, H-J., Koynov, K. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to unravel the interactions between macromolecules in wine. Food Chem. 352: 129343; 2021.

2217 Scrimgeour, N., Hirlam, K., Wilkes, E., Parker, M. A burning need: developing a rapid screening method for smoke-affected grapes and wine. Wine Vitic. J. 36(2): 33-35; 2021.

2218 Roach, M., Borneman, A., Schmidt, S., Krstic, M. Applying genomics to grapevine clones. Wine Vitic. J. 36(2): 39-41; 2021.

2219 Dry, P. Blaufränkisch. Wine Vitic. J. 36(2): p. 59; 2021.

2220 Day, M.P., Espinase Nandorfy, D., Bekker, M.Z., Bindon, K.A., Solomon, M., Smith, P.A., Schmidt, S.A. Aeration of Vitis vinifera Shiraz fermentation and its effect on wine chemical composition and sensory attributes. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. doi: 10.1111/ajgw.12490; 2021.

2221 Zhou-Tsang, A., Wu, Y., Henderson, S.W., Walker, A.R., Borneman, A.R., Walker, R.R., Gilliham, M. Grapevine salt tolerance. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. 27(2): 149-168; 2021.

2222 Cowey, G. Ask the AWRI: How much sulfur dioxide (SO2) is needed at bottling? Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (687): 76-77; 2021.

2223 Capone, D.L., Barker, A., Pearson, W., Francis, I.L. Influence of inclusion of grapevine leaves, rachis and peduncles during fermentation on the flavour and volatile composition of Vitis vinifera cv. Shiraz wine. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. doi: 10.1111/ajgw.12489; 2021.

2224 Teng, B., Hayasaka, Y., Smith, P.A., Bindon, K.A. Precipitation of tannin-anthocyanin derivatives in wine is influenced by acetaldehyde concentration and tannin molecular mass with implications for the development of nonbleachable pigments. J. Agric. Food Chem. 69(16): 4804-4815; 2021.

Acknowledgements

The AWRI acknowledges support from Australia’s grapegrowers and winemakers through their investment body, Wine Australia, with matching funds from the Australian Government. The AWRI is a member of the Wine Innovation Cluster in Adelaide, South Australia.

Technical Review April 2021 issue available online

7 April 2021 >

7 April 2021

The April 2021 issue of Technical Review is now available online. Articles and abstracts can be viewed individually, or the full issue can be downloaded. The online format of Technical Review allows you to browse the list of the latest articles on grape and wine production by keyword, view article summaries and order journal articles from the AWRI Library.

For copyright reasons, access to abstracts is available only to Australian winemakers and grapegrowers who pay the Wine Grapes or Grape Research levies. The technical notes authored by the AWRI are, however, freely available. If you have forgotten your password for the AWRI website, please use the forgotten password link to reset your password.

Below is a snapshot of what's in this issue:

AWRI Technical Notes
AWRI publications
  • Use of ultrafiltration and proteolytic enzymes as alternative approaches for protein stabilisation of white wine
  • A little dissolved CO2 goes a long way in the wine glass
  • Choosing the best remediation strategy to remove ‘reductive’ aromas
  • Ask the AWRI: microwaving wine – a scientific perspective
  • Smoke analysis at the AWRI: a testing year
  • Ask the AWRI: applying regenerative agriculture practices in viticulture
  • Novel methods to manipulate autolysis in sparkling wine: effects of yeast
Current literature – oenology
Current literature – viticulture

eNews – February 2021

26 February 2021 >

New project on autonomous machinery for under-vine weed control

A new face in the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia team

Bucket ferment video

Do you read ‘Ask the AWRI’?

Botrytis webinars online

Order the latest staff publications online

Acknowledgements

New project on autonomous machinery for under-vine weed control
TThe AWRI, in partnership with Pernod Ricard Winemakers, received a major grant from the Australian Government earlier this month for a project investigating autonomous machinery as an alternative to herbicides for controlling under-vine weeds. Funded under the Advancing Pest Animal and Weed Control Solutions Competitive Grant Round, the project will trial the use of an autonomous tractor and a vineyard robot for non-chemical weed control under Australian conditions. Project results will be communicated to growers via demonstrations in trial vineyards and through the AWRI’s established extension and communication platforms. The project will run until June 2023.

A new face in the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia team

In response to the growth of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia and new projects in the sustainability and viticulture space, last week Liz Pitcher joined the AWRI as Sustainability and Viticulture Specialist. Liz joins the team with twenty years’ wine industry experience across numerous regions and in various roles within small, medium and corporate wine industry businesses. She will work with Dr Mardi Longbottom and Megan Coles to manage Sustainable Winegrowing Australia and deliver certification training workshops and a range of other sustainability and viticulture projects. For more information about Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, visit the program website or contact the AWRI helpdesk on 08 8313 6600 or helpdesk@awri.com.au.

Bucket ferment video
When a vineyard is exposed to smoke, the AWRI recommends a combination of analytical testing of grapes and sensory assessment of a small-scale ‘bucket’ ferment to assess the risk of making smoke-affected wine. To support producers who need to conduct such an assessment, the AWRI has recently made a video of the bucket ferment process to complement the detailed fact sheet that describes the method. This video is one of a number of demonstration videos now on the AWRI’s YouTube channel. A major collection of resources related to smoke taint are available from the AWRI smoke taint webpage. For more information on smoke taint, contact the AWRI helpdesk on 08 8 313 6600 or helpdesk@awri.com.au.

Do you read ‘Ask the AWRI’?

Each month the AWRI helpdesk team publishes a short question and answer format article in Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker on a winemaking or viticulture subject. Recent columns have covered topics including regenerative agriculture, indole in sparkling wine, soil organic matter and even microwaving wine! The full collection of Ask the AWRI columns is available on the AWRI website. If you’d like to suggest a topic for a future column, contact the helpdesk team on helpdesk@awari.com.au.

Botrytis webinars online

With recent wet weather experienced across a number of growing regions, some producers raised concerns with the AWRI helpdesk regarding Botrytis. In response, two panel-style webinars were held in successive weeks – the first focusing on managing late-season Botrytis in the vineyard, and the second on managing Botrytis-affected fruit in the winery. Both webinars are available for viewing on the AWRI’s YouTube channel and there are additional resources on the Managing Botrytis-affected fruit, must and wine webpage.

Order the latest staff publications online

Accessing the latest AWRI publications is easy. Visit the AWRI Publications web page to:

  • View the 10 most recent AWRI staff publications and order the articles online from the AWRI Library
  • Search the staff publications database
  • Read the full-text of ‘Technical Notes’ from Technical Review (PDF format)
  • Read the full-text of ‘AWRI reports’ and ‘Vineyards of the world columns’ published in Wine & Viticulture Journal (PDF format)
  • Read the full text of ‘Ask the AWRI columns’ published in Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker

The AWRI’s most recent publications are listed below.

2198 Romanini, E., McRae, J.M., Bilogrevic, E., Colangelo, D., Gabrielli, M., Lambri, M. Use of grape seeds to reduce haze formation in white wines. Food Chem. 341: 128250; 2021.

2199 Tondini, F., Onetto, C.A., Jiranek, V. Early adaptation strategies of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Torulaspora delbrueckii to co-inoculation in high sugar grape must-like media. Food Microbiol. 90: 103463; 2020.

2200 Nordestgaard, S. Sparking a vineyard revolution: Powering up the potential of electric tractors. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (683): 32-34, 36, 38-40, 42-45; 2020.

2201 Godden, P. Ask the AWRI: Lees contact in white wine. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (683): 55-56; 2020.

2202 Krstic, M. 2020 Report. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (683): 76-79; 2020.

2203 Dry, P. Lambrusco Maestri. Wine Vitic. J. 35(4): p. 60; 2020.

2204 Sui, Y., McRae, J.M, Wollan, D., Muhlack, R.A., Godden, P., Wilkinson, K.L. Use of ultrafiltration and proteolytic enzymes as alternative approaches for protein stabilisation of white wine. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. doi:10.1111/ajgw.12475: 1-12; 2020.

2205 Siebert, T.E., Stamatopoulos, P., Francis, I.L., Darriet, P. Sensory-directed characterisation of distinctive aromas of Sauternes and Viognier wines through semi-preparative liquid chromatography and gas chromatography approaches. J. Chromatogr. A 1637: 461803; 2021.

2206 Schulkin, A., Smith, P.A., Espinase Nandorfy, D., Gawel, R. A little dissolved CO2 goes a long way in the wine glass. Wine Vitic. J. 36(1): 39-41; 2021.

2207 Bekker, M., Espinase Nandorfy, D., Kulcsar, A., Faucon, A., Smith, P., Krstic, M. Choosing the best remediation strategy to remove ‘reductive’ aromas. Wine Vitic. J. 36(1): 42-45; 2021.

2208 McKay, S., Ismail, I., Harper, L., Lopez, F., van den Heuvel, S., Borneman, A., Hall, B., Sosnowski, M. Fungicide resistance status of powdery and downy mildew in Australia. Wine Vitic. J. 36(1): 54-58, 60-61; 2021.

2209 Dry, P. Moscato Giallo. Wine Vitic. J. 36(1): p. 68; 2021.

2210 Coulter, A. Ask the AWRI: Microwaving wine – a scientific perspective. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (684): 44-45; 2021.

2211 Wilkes, E. Smoke analysis at the AWRI: a testing year. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (684): 58-61; 2021.

2212 Dixon, R. Ask the AWRI: Applying regenerative agriculture practices in viticulture. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (685) : 40-41; 2021.

2213 Gnoinski, G.B., Schmidt, S.A., Close, D.C., Goemann, K., Pinfold, T.L., Kerslake, F.L. Novel methods to manipulate autolysis in sparkling wine: effects of yeast. Molecules 26 (2): 387; 2021.

Acknowledgements

The AWRI acknowledges support from Australia’s grapegrowers and winemakers through their investment body, Wine Australia, with matching funds from the Australian Government. The AWRI is a member of the Wine Innovation Cluster in Adelaide, South Australia.

Managing Botrytis in the winery – webinar and key resources

17 February 2021 >

Recent wet weather across a number of grapegrowing regions has led to conditions that are favourable to the development of Botrytis bunch rot. Botrytis outbreaks have been reported across regions in Victoria and NSW and further wet weather is forecast in other states.

To assist winemakers dealing with Botrytis-affected fruit, the AWRI has organised a panel-style webinar on Botrytis management in the winery for Thursday 18 February at 11.30am central daylight time.

Panel members will include a mix of technical experts and industry practitioners, with short presentations followed by a Q&A session.

Register now to attend this webinar. The recording will also be available on the AWRI’s YouTube channel following the webinar.

Useful resources on managing Botrytis-affected fruit include:
•    AWRI webpage on managing Botrytis
•    AWRI fact sheet: Managing Botrytis-infected fruit
•    Testing for laccase

For more information or assistance, please contact the AWRI helpdesk on 08 8313 6600 or helpdesk@awri.com.au.

Technical Review February 2021 issue available online

9 February 2021 >

The February 2021 issue of Technical Review is now available online. Articles and abstracts can be viewed individually, or the full issue can be downloaded. The online format of Technical Review allows you to browse the list of the latest articles on grape and wine production by keyword, view article summaries and order journal articles from the AWRI Library.

For copyright reasons, access to abstracts is available only to Australian winemakers and grapegrowers who pay the Wine Grapes or Grape Research levies. The technical notes authored by the AWRI are, however, freely available. If you have forgotten your password for the AWRI website, please use the forgotten password link to reset your password.

Below is a snapshot of what's in this issue:

AWRI Technical Notes
AWRI publications
  • Ask the AWRI: Sparkling wine gushing: not a cause for celebration
  • Fungicide programs used to manage powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator) in Australian vineyards
  • Use of grape seeds to reduce haze formation in white wines
  • Early adaptation strategies of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Torulaspora delbrueckii to co-inoculation in high sugar grape must-like media
  • Sparking a vineyard revolution: powering up the potential of electric tractors
  • 2020 Report
  • Viticultural and controlled phenolic release treatments affect phenolic concentration and tannin composition in Pinot Noir wine
Current literature – oenology
  • Use of potassium polyaspartate for stabilization of potassium bitartrate in wines: influence on colloidal stability and interactions with other additives and enological practices
  • Combination of pre-fermentative and fermentative strategies to produce Malbec wines of lower alcohol and pH, with high chemical and sensory quality
  • Oak barrel and bottle ageing: the effect of oxygenation rate and time on the evolution of red wine colour
  • Looking inside the tank: how homogenous is a fermentation
  • Oenococcus oeni, a species born and moulded in wine: a critical review of the stress impacts of wine and the physiological responses
  • Yeast derived indole accumulation: why yeast preparation can be just as important as yeast strain selection for sparkling wine
  • Free, bound, and total sulfur dioxide (SO2) during oxidation of wines
  • Sensory assessment of grape polyphenolic fractions: an insight into the effects of anthocyanins on in-mouth perceptions
Current literature – viticulture
  • Impact of vineyard topography on the quality of Chablis wine
  • Vineyard yield estimation using 2-D proximal sensing: a multitemporal approach
  • Evaluation of ripening indicators for harvest-time decision making in cold climate grape production
  • Berry primary and secondary metabolites in response to sunlight and temperature in the grapevine fruit zone
  • Biochar in the vineyard: building a foundation for sustainability
  • Big climate data assessment of viticultural conditions for wine quality determination in France
  • Winter pruning: effect on root density, root distribution and root/canopy ratio in Vitis vinifera cv. Pinot Gris
  • Evaluating the suitability of hyper- and multispectral imaging to detect foliar symptoms of the grapevine trunk disease Esca in vineyards
  • New ways of growing Sangiovese in the King Valley
  • Using rootstocks to lower berry potassium concentrations in 'Cabernet Sauvignon' grapevines