The Australian Wine Research Institute

The Australian Wine Research Institute Blog

eNews – December 2019

18 December 2019 >

New Managing Director

Sustainability benchmarking reports now available

Art, wine and synaesthesia: AWRI artist in residence

Rapid sensory method assessed

Study trip to Bordeaux furthers research on ‘jam’ characters

Chardonnay tasting workshops launching in January

Success in ON Prime program

Celebrating AWAC 50

Order the latest AWRI staff publications online

Acknowledgements

New Managing Director
The AWRI Board announced today that Dr Mark Krstic has been appointed as the new Managing Director of the AWRI, commencing 1 February 2020. Dr Krstic takes over from Dr Dan Johnson, who is leaving to take up a position as Pro Vice Chancellor Research Innovation at Macquarie University. Dr Krstic comes to the position with more than 20 years’ experience in grape and wine research and research leadership, mostly recently as General Manager – Business Development at the AWRI. For more information, including a bio of Dr Krstic, see today’s new-md-awri-dec-2019.

Sustainability benchmarking reports now available

The Sustainable Winegrowing Australia team visited a number of regions earlier this month, presenting the highlights and opportunities for improvement from the regional results for 2018/19. This coincided with the release of the member data and workbook benchmarking reports. If you are a member and have not yet looked at your reports, log in over the Christmas break and review your results. The AWRI is on the look-out for vineyards and wineries that are performing well, especially in the areas of waste and fertiliser management. If you’re doing something a bit different, send an email to helpdesk@awri.com.au.

There is lots of information about the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia on the AWRI website. If you are interested in joining Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, everything you need to get started can be found in the Program Guide and updated User Manual. If you are a member and have not yet completed the membership renewal for 2019/20, you can still do so by logging in to the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia website.

Art, wine and synesthesia: AWRI artist in residence
The AWRI has been hosting a Brisbane-based artist, Elizabeth Willing, for the last six months as part of an Australian Network for Art and Technology initiative. Elizabeth has been mainly working with the sensory team, looking at associations of colours and shapes with wine flavours, using sensory analysis techniques. This has resulted in fascinating visual artworks that relate to specific red wines. The wines were also assessed for preference with the matching or non-matching artwork present, to better understand how the wine consumption experience can be enhanced through the setting. The art pieces produced will be incorporated into an exhibition, and the results of the sensory testing will be summarised in publications shortly. Elizabeth has also created graphics for disseminating research outcomes in her time at the AWRI, including a visualisation of the grapevine seasonal cycle. For more information see Elizabeth’s blog http://willing2019.blog.anat.org.au/

Rapid sensory method assessed

Research comparing the rapid sensory method Pivot© Profile with the more traditional method of descriptive analysis has just been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed journal Food Quality and Preference. The study found that two groups of experts using the rapid method (winemakers and international sommeliers) gave very similar responses to a set of Shiraz wines from multiple regions, and that the data obtained were comparable to that of the more common, time-consuming method of quantitative sensory descriptive analysis. The Pivot© Profile method is therefore well suited to use by winemakers to generate detailed sensory profiles of wines.

The full paper (‘In press’ version) detailing these results is accessible now via the AWRI library:
Pearson, W., Schmidtke, L., Francis, L., Blackman, J.W. 2019. An investigation of the Pivot© Profile sensory analysis method using wine experts: comparison with descriptive analysis and results from two expert panels. Food Qual. Pref. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103858.

Study trip to Bordeaux furthers research on ‘jam’ characters

University of SA and AWRI PhD researcher Jana Hildebrandt has recently completed a study trip to Bordeaux thanks to funding from the Great Wine Capitals Travel Bursary. Her trip provided an opportunity to strengthen the AWRI’s collaborative ties with L’lnstitut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin (ISVV) through the existing ‘BAG’ Alliance. Jana’s PhD research centres around the evolution of ‘jam’ and ‘raisin’ character in grapes and wine, and aligns with objectives of both the AWRI and the ISVV, in the latter case evaluating the characteristic ‘dried fruit’ character of aged Bordeaux wines. While in Bordeaux, Jana analysed her research samples for characteristic Bordeaux compounds using methods and techniques not currently available at the AWRI and compared the concentrations of key compounds in Australian wines and grapes with those in Bordeaux-sourced wines.

Interestingly, while the compounds responsible for the traits in each country appear to be similar, sensory analysis indicated that the overall aroma impression was significantly different between wines from each country. Jana brings back with her a wealth of knowledge on new analytical techniques that she plans to integrate into her PhD research.

Chardonnay tasting workshops launching in January
Each vintage since 2016 the AWRI has made a series of wines from single batches of grapes, changing one variable in each fermentation, with the resulting wines being presented to winemakers in workshops around Australia. The 2019 trial was conducted with Chardonnay (the first time a white variety has been featured) and the workshops presenting the Chardonnay trial wines are kicking off in January across SA, Victoria and WA before moving on to other states in February. This workshop provides a great opportunity to explore and compare the stylistic and compositional differences achieved when one winemaking variable is changed at a time. Visit the AWRI events calendar for workshop dates and online registration or contact events@awri.com.au for more information.

Awards and achievements

A team from the AWRI and Wine Australia has completed CSIRO’s ON Prime program with a win! The program creates connections between research, science and business, helping Australia’s publicly funded researchers to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and focus their science for maximum real-world impact. Over the past ten weeks, team ‘Winegrape Extracts’ has explored the potential for natural flavours extracted from winegrapes to be used in wine products and other beverages and foods. The team members conducted more than 100 conversations across different industry segments, participated in coaching sessions and learned from a team of program mentors. At the program’s final showcase event, the team was awarded the facilitator prize ($2,000 cash) for best Adelaide team. A short video about their proposed product can be viewed here. For more information, contact Dr Mark Krstic on mark.krstic@awri.com.au.

Celebrating AWAC 50
Earlier this month the AWRI presented its 50th Advanced Wine Assessment Course. Since the first course was held in 1992, a total of 1,256 wine industry personnel have completed the AWAC, improving their sensory skills and learning what it takes to be a wine judge. As part of the celebrations of this milestone, past guest judges and others involved in the course over its history were invited to dinner with the current AWAC class. For more information about the course or to register your interest in AWAC 51, visit the AWAC page on the AWRI website.

Order the latest AWRI 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.

2109 Essling, M. Ask the AWRI: regulatory changes to the use of botrytis agrochemical. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (668): 48-49; 2019.

2110 Bindon, K.A., Kassara, S., Solomon, M., Bartel, C., Smith, P.A., Barker, A., Curtin, C. Commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains significantly impact Shiraz tannin and polysaccharide composition with implication for wine colour and astringency. Biomolecules 9(9): 466; 2019.

2111 Coulter, A., Cowey, G., Essling, M., Hoare, T., Holdstock, M., Longbottom, M., Simos, C., Johnson, D. Vintage 2019 – observations from the AWRI helpdesk. Wine Vitic. J. 34(4): 27-29; 2019.

2112 Dry, P. Corvina. Wine Vitic. J. 34(4): p. 59; 2019.

2113 Stanstrup, J., Broeckling, C.D., Helmus, R., Hoffmann, N., Mathé, E., Naake, T., Nicolotti, L., Peters, K., Rainer, J., Salek, R.M., Schulze, T., Schymanski, E.L, Stravs, M.A., Thévenot, E.A., Treutler, H., Weber, R.J.M., Willighagen, E., Witting, M., Neumann, S. The metaRbolomics Toolbox in Bioconductor and beyond. Metabolites 9(10): 200; 2019.

2114 Ratnayake, S., Stockdale, V., Grafton, S., Munro, P., Robinson, A.L., Pearson, W., McRae, J.M., Bacic, A. Carrageenans as heat stabilisers of white wine. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. 25(4): 439-450; 2019.

2115 Walker, R.R., Blackmore, D.H., Clingeleffer, P.R., Holt, H., Pearson, W., Francis, I.L. Effect of rootstock on yield, grape composition and wine sensory attributes of Shiraz grown in a moderately saline environment. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. 25(4): 414-429; 2019.

2116 Parker, M., Onetto, C.A., Hixson, J.L., Bilogrevic, E., Schueth, L., Pisaniello, L., Borneman, A., Herderich, M.J., de Barros Lopes, M.A., Francis, I.L. Factors contributing to interindividual variation in retronasal odor perception from aroma glycosides: the role of odorant sensory detection threshold, oral microbiota and hydrolysis in saliva. J. Agric. Food Chem. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b05450; 2019.

2117 Cowey, G. Ask the AWRI: What does the latest research say about barrel sanitation against Brett? Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (669): 76-77; 2019.

2118 Romanini, E., McRae, J.M, Colangelo, D., Lambri, M. First trials to assess the feasibility of grape seed powder (GSP) as a novel and sustainable bentonite alternative. Food Chem. 305: 125484; 2019.

2119 Longbottom, M. Ask the AWRI: Sustainable Winegrowing Australia. Supporting the nation’s growers and winemakers in demonstrating and improving their sustainability. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (670): 45-46; 2019.

2120 Scrimgeour, N., Wilkes, E., Bartowsky, E. Making sense of yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN). Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (670): 47-50; 2019.

2121 Wilkes, E., Wheal, M. Elements of wine … nearly every known naturally occurring element has been found in at least some wines … Chem. Aust. (November/December): p. 37; 2019.

2122 Pearson, W., Schmidtke, L., Francis, I.L., Blackman, J.W. An investigation of the Pivot© Profile sensory analysis method using wine experts: comparison with descriptive analysis and results from two expert panels. Food Qual. Pref. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103858: 2019

2123 Hirlam, K., Scrimgeour, N., Wilkes, E. The impact of temperature fluctuations on closure performance. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (671): 59-61; 2019.

2124 Godden, P. Ask the AWRI: Grape solids in white winemaking. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (671): 73-74; 2019.

2125 Johnson, D. 2019 Report. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (671): 4p.; 2019.

2126 Watson, F.T., Smernik, R.J., Doolette, A.L. Thermal degradation of phytate produces all four possible inositol pentakiphosphates as determined by ion chromatography and 1H and 31p NMR spectroscopy. Phosphorus Sulfur Silicon Relat. Elem. 194(12): 1140-1148; 2019.

2127 Luo, M., Li, H., Chakraborty, S., Morbitzer, R., Rinaldo, A., Upadhyaya, N., Bhatt, D., Louis, S., Richardson, T., Lahaye, T., Ayliffe, M. Efficient TALEN-mediated gene editing in wheat. Plant Biotechnol. J. 17(11): 2026-2028; 2019.

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 Managing Director for the Australian Wine Research Institute

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Chair of the AWRI Board, Louisa Rose, announced today the appointment of Dr Mark Krstic as the new Managing Director of the AWRI, effective 1 February 2020. Dr Krstic will succeed Dr Dan Johnson, who has led the AWRI since 2011 and is taking up a new position as Pro Vice Chancellor Research Innovation at Macquarie University in Sydney.

Grape solids in white winemaking

16 December 2019 >

Read the latest Ask the AWRI article.

Since 2016 the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) has made a series of wines from single batches of grapes, changing one variable in each fermentation, with the resulting wines being presented to winemakers in workshops around Australia. In 2019, the trial was conducted with Chardonnay. The AWRI’s Peter Godden covers key questions on grape solids in white winemaking and is the first in a series that will examine winemaking variables included in the 2019 trial that have a significant influence on Chardonnay wine style.

Technical Review December 2019 issue available online

10 December 2019 >

The December 2019 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: what does the latest research say about barrel sanitation against Brett?
  • Effect of rootstock on yield, grape composition and wine sensory attributes of Shiraz grown in a moderately saline environment
  • Carrageenans as heat stabilisers of white wine
  • Vintage 2019 – observations from the AWRI helpdesk
  • Ask the AWRI: regulatory changes to the use of botrytis agrochemical
Current literature – oenology
  • The scientific art of blending?
  • Cabernet Sauvignon aging stability altered by microoxygenation
  • Understanding cold maceration in red winemaking: a batch processing and multi-block data analysis approach
  • Effect of temperature and duration of maceration on colour and sensory properties of red wine – a review
  • Predicting fermentation dynamics of concrete egg fermenters
  • Roundtable: cold soaking
  • Influence of nitrogen content on grape non-Saccharomyces glycosidic activities
  • Efficacy of ozone against different strains of Brettanomyces bruxellensis on winegrapes postharvest and impact on wine composition
  • Effect of vine water and nitrogen status, as well as temperature, on some aroma compounds of aged red Bordeaux wines
  • Lifting the lid: Australian wineries have their say in our latest closure survey
  • Blue wine, a color obtained with synthetic blue dye addition: two case studies
Current literature – viticulture
  • Going against the grain with alternatives to wooden trellis posts
  • Impacts of early leaf removal and cluster thinning on Grüner Veltliner production, fruit composition, and vine health
  • New factsheet explores under-vine cover cropping
  • The attitudes of French and Spanish winegrowers towards the use of cover crops in vineyards
  • Using canopy and shade cloth to reduce sunburn
  • Managing grapevine trunk diseases in California’s Southern San Joaquin Valley
  • Could rising temperatures and humidity see an increase in the incidence of sooty mould?
  • Foliar application of several nitrogen sources as fertilisers to Tempranillo grapevines: effect on wine volatile composition

AWRI Board election result

14 November 2019 >

An election was recently held for one position on the AWRI Board in the small levy payer category, with seven candidates contesting the election. The AWRI is pleased to announce that Toby Bekkers from Bekkers Wine was elected to the vacant position in the small levy payer category. Only one nomination was received in each of the medium and large levy payer categories, so elections were not required. Louisa Rose of Yalumba Family Winemakers (Chair of the AWRI Board) and Marcus Woods of Pernod Ricard Winemakers (a current Director) are the successful candidates in those categories respectively.

Toby Bekkers, a current AWRI Director, is a viticulturist, consultant and wine business manager with more than 25 years of relevant experience. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science, Agriculture with Honours from the University of Adelaide and a Graduate Certificate in Management from the University of South Australia. He and his wife, Emmanuelle, own and operate Bekkers Wine and vineyards in McLaren Vale. Toby is a graduate of the 2009 ‘Future Leaders’ program and is a 2017 Nuffield Farming Scholar. He has presented at numerous events, including the Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference.

Louisa Rose is Chief Winemaker, Yalumba Family Winemakers and has 28 years of wine industry experience. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Oenology from Roseworthy College. Louisa is a highly experienced wine show judge, and is current chair of the Royal Adelaide Wine Show. She is Chair of the Australian Wine Research Institute, Grand Master of the Barons of Barossa and a member of the South Australian Agribusiness Council.

Marcus Woods is Wine Supply Director at Pernod Ricard Winemakers and has more than 18 years of viticultural and operational management experience. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Viticulture and an MBA from Charles Sturt University. Marcus has worked across Australia managing vineyards, wineries and distilleries for a number of employers including Hardy’s, Accolade Wines and the Bickford’s Group. Marcus has taught Winery Business Management at the University of Adelaide and has been a committee member of the Clare Region Winegrape Growers Association.

All three Directors will commence their elected terms on 1 January 2020.

Cheers to two top tasters

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The Australian Wine Research Institute announced today that Jessica Bloomfield from Pernod Ricard Winemakers and Jessica Clark from Tapanappa Wines (now at Giant Steps) were dux winners of the 47th and 49th Advanced Wine Assessment Courses.

What does the latest research say about barrel sanitation against Brett?

25 October 2019 >

Read the latest Ask the AWRI article.

When acetic acid bacteria or Brettanomyces yeast grow in a wine during barrel maturation, the AWRI helpdesk is often asked if the barrel can be adequately sanitised and reused without the risk of cross contamination or reinfection. Geoff Cowey covers some of the specific factors that should be considered, including outcomes from recent research on this topic.

Technical Review October 2019 issue available online

24 October 2019 >

The October 2019 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
  • Hot water immersion as a disinfestation treatment for grapevine root cutting against genetically diverse grape phylloxera Daktulophaira vitifoliae Fitch
  • Ask the AWRI: spoilage issues in Pinot Noir
  • Understanding yeast impact on 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene formation in Riesling wine through a formation-pathway-informed hydrolytic assay
  • Tech-led evolution of wine shows
  • Ask the AWRI: controlling vineyard weeds
  • Volatile profile of reduced alcohol wines fermented with selected non-Saccharomyces yeasts under different aeration conditions
  • Effect of grape seed and skin tannin molecular mass and composition on the rate of reaction with anthocyanin and subsequent formation of polymeric pigments in the presence of acetaldehyde
Current literature – oenology
  • The many shades of rosé
  • Alternatives to refrigeration: practical commentary around the use of CMC
  • Managing phenolics in the vineyard and winery
  • Oak tannin selection and barrel toasting: impact on dry white wine oxidative stability
  • Winemaker trials: What are the sensory and phenolic effects of using oxygen and nitrogen as flotation gases?
  • Winemakers discuss cap management regimens
  • Grape solids: lipid composition and role during alcoholic fermentation under enological conditions
  • Current perspective on arsenic in wines: analysis, speciation, and changes in composition during production
  • Influence of the use of unripe grapes to reduce ethanol content and pH on the color, polyphenol and polysaccharide composition of conventional and hot macerated Pinot Noir and Tannat wines
  • Elimination of suspended cell wall material in musts improves the phenolic content and color of red wines
  • Wine reduction potentials: are these measured values really reduction potentials?
  • 2019 Closure survey report: you can’t fix what you don’t measure
  • New study measures the dramatic release of O2 from stoppers post-bottling
Current literature – viticulture
  • Product review: optical grape sorters for 2019 harvest
  • Scientific holism, alternative agricultures and climate change
  • France struggles to dump glyphosate
  • Paris industry conference focuses on digital innovation and variety adaptation for climate change
  • Effects on berry shrinkage in Vitis vinifera. L cv. 'Merlot' from changes in canopy/root ratio: a preliminary approach
  • Effects of abiotic factors on phenolic compounds in the grape berry – a review
  • Reaping rewards: Barossa’s new thinking to tackle climate change
  • To till or not to till?
  • Canopy and soil thermal patterns to support water and heat stress management in vineyards
  • A rude awakening to grapevine trunk disease
  • Impact of grapevine red blotch disease on grape composition of Vitis vinifera Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay
  • In France, researchers are putting resistant grape varieties to the test of sustainable development
  • Breeding next generation rootstocks with durable pest resistance using DNA marker-assisted selection

The AWRI has released seven new webinars! Registration is now open.

21 October 2019 >

 
Starting on Thursday, 24 October, Larissa Barrows from the University of Melbourne takes a look at consumer attitudes toward sustainability certification in the wine industry and provides insights into how the wine sector can better converse with consumers on this issue. The remaining six webinars will run through to January 2020 and address topics including managing ‘reductive’ aromas, membrane contactor systems, managing heatwaves, soil health, a climate outlook for vintage 2020 and measuring Baume or Brix.

See the full program here.

Each webinar includes a presentation and an opportunity for audience members to ask questions and is held on a Thursday at 11:30 am Australian Central Daylight Time (Adelaide, GMT+10:30). All AWRI webinars are free to attend.

The next seven webinars for the program are:

24 October 2019: Consumer responses to sustainability certification in the wine industry– Larissa Barrows (University of Melbourne)

7 November 2019: Managing ‘reductive’ aromas in wines – Dr Marlize Bekker (AWRI)

14 November 2019: Membrane contactors for dissolved gas management – Dr Simon Nordestgaard (AWRI)

21 November 2019: Heat proofing vineyards – Dr Joanna Gambetta and Julia Guot (National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, CSU)

28 November 2019: Soil health checklist – what to measure to assess soil health – Dr Mark Krstic (AWRI)

5 December 2019: Bureau of Meteorology Seasonal Outlook for vintage 2020 – Darren Ray (BOM)

23 January 2019: Measuring Baume and Brix and understanding their relationship with final alcohol concentration – Dr Eric Wilkes (AWRI)

System requirements

You will need a computer or mobile device with an internet connection. Audio is connected over the internet using your computer or mobile device’s speakers (Voice over Internet Protocol – VOIP). Participants joining a webinar via a mobile device will need to download a free app available from iTunes or Google Play.

If you’ve missed a previous AWRI webinar, you can watch online via the AWRI’s YouTube channel.

For further information on AWRI webinars, please contact the AWRI information services team