7 April 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting people, communities and businesses across the world. Companies everywhere are changing the way they work to minimise the risk of spreading the virus and help ‘flatten the curve’. The AWRI is committed to continuing to provide its full range of services to support the Australian grape and wine community, while taking all possible steps to ensure the well-being of its staff and the broader community.

In response to the pandemic, we have had to make some changes to how we deliver our services. This eBulletin outlines those changes, and provides information on how all stakeholders can continue to access the services they need. The AWRI can be continue to be contacted during business hours on 08 8313 6600 and enquiries@awri.com.au.

Essential service classification

The AWRI is pleased to have received confirmation from the South Australian Government that it has been classified as an essential service provider to agriculture. This means that in the event of further restrictions on workplaces in SA, it is likely that the AWRI’s laboratories will be able to continue to operate to support the Australian wine industry.

Building access

Access to the WIC central building is now restricted to staff members and essential maintenance workers only. No visitors are permitted. Please phone AWRI Reception on 08 8313 6600 if you need to contact an AWRI staff member or to arrange to submit samples.

AWRI Commercial Services

AWRI Commercial Services is still providing its full suite of analyses and services. The laboratories are fully operational, working under strict social distancing rules. Changes have been made to sample submission and payment processes to protect both customers and staff. South Australian customers who usually drop off their samples in person are being asked to leave samples on a dedicated trolley in the foyer of the building (accessible by phoning AWRI Reception on 08 8 313 6600) and to provide paperwork via email. For all other customers, Australia Post and couriers are still able to deliver samples safely. Sample pick-up arrangements in place in some regions are continuing as usual.

AWRI helpdesk

The AWRI helpdesk is continuing to provide technical winemaking and viticulture advice and conduct investigations. While helpdesk staff are predominantly working from home, there are no interruptions to services. Australian grapegrowers and winemakers can continue to contact the helpdesk via helpdesk@awri.com.au or 08 8313 6600. The AWRI website also provides a wide range of technical winemaking and viticulture resources.

Library services

The physical library space is now closed to visitors, but all other library services are still available. This includes the library catalogue, access to eBooks, delivering articles and conducting specialised literature searches. An AWRI website login is required to access the library’s online services – subscribe here or reset your password if you have forgotten it. Contact the library team on infoservices@awri.com.au.

Events

The AWRI’s face-to-face events are currently on hold due to the social distancing and travel restrictions in place to help stop the spread of COVID-19. During this period, webinars and other virtual platforms will be used to maintain delivery of relevant content to winemakers and grapegrowers. Follow the AWRI’s YouTube channel or access all previous webinar recordings from the AWRI webinar page. A new program of webinars will be launched shortly. Face-to-face events will relaunch once restrictions are lifted. For any queries about events, contact the events team on events@awri.com.au.

WIC Winemaking Services

Vintage is continuing for WIC Winemaking Services, under strict conditions restricting who can access the winery. All trials and contract winemaking are progressing as planned. Contact John Gledhill on WIC.WinemakingServices@awri.com.au for any queries related to WIC Winemaking Services.

Metabolomics SA

Metabolomics SA is continuing to provide metabolomics services for researchers and industry. The Metabolomics team members are maintaining laboratory operations while following social distancing protocols; otherwise, team members are working from home. For requests, consultations or sample submission please contact metabolomics@awri.com.au. To submit samples, please organise a drop-off time via email, otherwise use Australia Post or a courier.

The April 2020 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	How good is the grape and wine community at identifying wine taints and faults?
AWRI publications	Tasting compares six wines sealed with both corks and screwcaps Ask the AWRI: spray application Chenin Blanc Identifying objective measures for Barossa Valley Shiraz grapes Ask the AWRI: reworking vineyards I can smell smoke – now what?
Current literature – oenology	What defines your wines? Top innovations in winemaking Learnings from viticulture and winemaking in Alsace Wine management strategies, from fermentation to stabilization The brown, the hazy, the green and the gold: inert pressing for aromatic white wines Cross-flow filtration of lees grape juice for non-aromatic white wine production: a case study on an Italian PDO Distribution of yeast cells, temperature, and fermentation by-products in white wine fermentations From blaze to bottle: smoke gets in your wine Changes in smoke-taint volatile-phenol glycosides in wildfire smoke-exposed Cabernet Sauvignon grapes throughout winemaking
Current literature – viticulture	Organic and biodynamic benefits are plain for Tamburlaine Repercussions of four herbicides on reproductive and vegetative development in potted grapevines Australia’s wine future – climate information for adaptation to change Cover crops – get it right, and reap the benefits Timing and intensity of grapevine defoliation: an extensive overview on five cultivars in Switzerland On‐the‐go assessment of vineyard canopy porosity, bunch and leaf exposure by image analysis Aussie Prosecco enjoys its place in the fun First agronomic evaluation of ten resistant vines in the environment of “Castelli Romani”

27 March 2020 (updated 1 April 2020)

The current COVID-19 pandemic has led winemakers to seek advice on how to sanitise their wineries in the event that a staff member becomes infected or suspected of being infected.

The advice in this eBulletin refers to surfaces that an infected person might touch, cough or sneeze on (e.g. door handles, touch screens, keyboards, pump controls, tank lids, tank doors, catwalk handrails etc.) and should be read in conjunction with the Australian Grape & Wine Cleaning and Disinfection Guidelines.

Note that winery cleaning and sanitation of wine vessels, pumps, hoses and other ‘internal surfaces’ not normally touched can continue as usual, without modification.

SARS-CoV-2 is the novel coronavirus responsible for the disease known as COVID-19.

While SARS-CoV-2 is mainly spread from person to person via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, these droplets containing the virus can land on surfaces. Consequently, transmission may be possible through contact with contaminated surfaces. Review of the literature and current research articles indicates that human coronaviruses can remain viable for hours to days on metal, glass or plastic surfaces (Kampf et al. 2020, van Doremalen et al. 2020).

Given the possibility of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via surfaces, cleaning of surfaces followed by disinfection is a best practice measure for prevention of spread of COVID-19. Note that cleaning typically involves removing dirt, grime and impurities from surfaces which can then be treated with a disinfectant to kill any virus particles. Due to the fact that the SARS-CoV-2 virus consists of a lipid membrane (which contains genetic material) with proteins embedded, soaps and detergents are not only effective in removing dirt and grime, but should also decrease the viral load on a surface.

The following links provide information on cleaning and disinfection:

• Australian Grape & Wine Cleaning and Disinfection Guidelines
• Australian Government Department of Health (DOH) – Environmental cleaning and disinfection principles for COVID-19
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand – Novel coronavirus and food safety
• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Environmental cleaning and disinfection recommendations
• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Disinfecting your facility if someone is sick

Note that for wineries, traditional cleaning chemicals such as caustic were shown to be not particularly effective against SARS-CoV (the coronavirus responsible for SARS in 2003, Pagat et al. 2007), so detergents are more appropriate. Proprietary blends which may include surfactants (detergents or wetting agents to lift dirt from surfaces) and sequestrants (metal chelating agents) will be useful when using hard water. In addition, acidified sulfur dioxide solutions are not on the list of disinfectants for use against SARS-CoV-2 provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

With regards to sanitising, chlorine-based bleach solutions are typically mentioned as part of sanitation regimes by the World Health Organization (WHO), DOH and CDC. However, chlorine-based sanitisers and bleaches are NOT RECOMMENDED in a winery setting due to their potential to generate chlorophenol and chloroanisole taints. Ethanol solutions (typically 70% v/v in water) are effective against coronaviruses (Kampf et al. 2020, WHO, CDC) and hence such solutions are recommended for commonly touched winery surfaces. Otherwise, quaternary ammonium-based disinfectants can be used, as indicated in the AGW Cleaning and Disinfection Guidelines.

Note that cleaning and sanitising can be performed on a small scale with buckets of soapy water for cleaning office equipment and 1 L spray bottles with 70% ethanol for sanitising. Rather than spraying directly, some electrical equipment may require spraying sanitiser onto a cloth and then wiping. It is best to wait at least 30-60 seconds before wiping the sprayed ethanol solution off to allow enough contact time to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While chlorine-based bleaches can be used in areas that are separate from the winery (e.g. offices, bathrooms, kitchens), it is not advisable to use such bleaches for any areas located within the winery, as wooden building materials might be a future source of chloroanisole taints if they absorb bleach.

It is also worth noting that Food Standards Australia and New Zealand indicates that there is no evidence that COVID-19 is transmitted through food. Wine in particular, due to its alcohol and phenolic content, is a hostile environment. Wolff et al. (2005) noted that the combination of alcohol and phenols proved highly effective against human coronaviruses.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this eBulletin is based on the currently available scientific literature. It should not be interpreted as health advice. In the event of a COVID-19 infection, wineries will need to cooperate with relevant government health departments.

The AWRI will provide further updates to industry on COVID-19 as more information becomes available. Contact the AWRI helpdesk on 08 8313 6600 or helpdesk@awri.com.au for assistance with specific technical queries. All of the references listed below are freely available online.

References

Kampf, G., Todt, D., Pfaender, S., Steinmann, E. 2020. Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their inactivation with biocidal agents. J. Hosp. Infect. 104(3): 246–251.

Pagat, A. M., Seux-Goepfert, R., Lutsch, C., Lecouturier, V., Saluzzo, J. F., Kusters, I. C. 2007. Evaluation of SARS-Coronavirus decontamination procedures. Appl. Biosaf. 12(2): 100-108.

van Doremalen, N., Bushmaker, T., Morris, D., Holbrook, M., Gamble, A., Williamson, B., Tamin, A., Harcourt, J.L., Thornburg, N.J., Gerber, S.I., Lloyd-Smith, J., de Wit, E, Munster, V.J. 2020. Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1. New Eng. J. Med. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2004973

Wolff, M.H., Sattar, S.A., Adegbunrin, O., Tetro, J. 2005. Environmental survival and microbicide inactivation of coronaviruses. Schmidt, A., Weber, O., Wolff, M.H. (eds) Coronaviruses with special emphasis on first insights concerning SARS: Basel, Switzerland: Birkhäuser: 201-212.

The AWRI will be closed over the Christmas/New Year period from 1:00pm on Tuesday 24 December and will re-open at 8:30am on Thursday 2 January 2020.

AWRI Commercial Services
The Commercial Services laboratories will be closed from 5:00pm on Friday 20 December and will re-open at 9.00am on Monday 6 January 2020.

Industry support
Telephone and email support will be available during the office closure. If you require assistance over the holiday period, please contact:

• Con Simos on 0448 889 432 or helpdesk@awri.com.au for winemaking technical problem solving issues.
• Mardi Longbottom on 0431 830 922 or helpdesk@awri.com.au for viticulture and agrochemical issues.

Library
The John Fornachon Memorial Library will be closed from 5:00pm on Monday 23 December and will re-open at 9.00am on Monday 6 January 2019. Access to the library’s online database will continue to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during this period via the AWRI website.