The Australian Wine Research Institute

The Australian Wine Research Institute Blog

More imports of brown marmorated stink bug to Australia

28 February 2018 >

Additional recent pest detections

  • Two further detections of the exotic pest brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) have been reported in Horsley Park, NSW and Perth, WA.
  • Dead and live bugs were found in separate shipments of electrical components and bricks that had been imported from Italy.
  • The federal and state biosecurity agencies are working together to manage the incidents, using well established response arrangements and processes including chemical treatment and surveillance.
  • Photos and technical information about brown marmorated stink bug can be found in this Plant Health Australia fact sheet.

Impact in vineyards and wineries

  • Low numbers of brown marmorated stink bug (three per bunch) may result in physical damage to berries which predisposes them to bunch rots and yield loss.
  • Brown marmorated stink bugs have a foul smelling odour when disturbed.
  • Brown marmorated stink bugs are known to cause wine taint if they end up in ferments.

Identifying BMSB

BMSB is one of many nuisance stink bugs and is easily confused with other stink bugs, some of which are present in Australia. The appearance of BMSB changes through its lifecycle. Adult BMSBs are characterised by a 12-17 mm mottle brown coloured, shield-shaped body (see photos below).

BMSB egg mass (left) (photo: David Lance, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org), nymph (middle) (photo: Gary Bernan, Bugwood.org), adult (right) (photo: Mohammed El Damir, Bugwood.org)

A collection of nymph and adult BMSBs on a leaf (left) and feeding damage on fruit caused by BMSB (photos: Gary Bernon, Bugwood.org)

Biosecurity awareness and reporting

Importers

  • If growers or winemakers transport or receive goods from overseas, they should always keep an eye out for pests and other biosecurity risks. Pests stow away in shipping containers, on machinery, and inside cartons and packaging, including timber pallets.
  • If you find any type of live pest while unpacking or moving your goods:
    • Collect and contain a specimen.
    • Re-seal any opened boxes, re-pack the container where possible, and shut the container doors.
    • Don’t move the container, especially to an outside area.
    • Report it quickly to the See. Secure. Report. hotline on 1800 798 636 for assistance.

Vineyards / wineries

  • If growers or winemakers think they have seen BMSB (or any other exotic pest) in the vineyard or winery they should phone the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.


For further information about wine industry biosecurity arrangements, please contact Andrew Weeks, CEO Australian Vignerons on 0403 520 242.

For technical information about brown marmorated stink bug, please contact the AWRI helpdesk on 08 8313 6600.

Technical Review February 2018 issue available

14 February 2018 >

The February 2018 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
  • Resveratrol, human health and winemaking perspectives
  • ASVO announces 2017 AWAC scholarship winner and winemaker of the year finalists
  • Struck match, freshness and tropical fruit: thiols and Chardonnay flavour
  • Rapid assessment of wine yeast viability and vitality
  • Ask the AWRI: biosecurity and viticulture
  • Top tips for wine stabilisation
  • Evaluation of putative precursors of key ‘reductive’ compounds in wines post-bottling
Current literature – oenology
  • Alternative vessels to ferment and mature
  • Rethinking oak budgets: the real cost of barrels
  • Is yeast affecting the taste of your wine? Yeast breeding as a tool for wine stylistic manipulation
  • Quantitating organoleptic volatile phenols in smoke-exposed Vitis vinifera berries
  • Technical feasibility of glucose oxidase as a prefermentation treatment for lowering the alcoholic degree of red wine
  • A full factorial study on the effect of tannins, acidity, and ethanol on the temporal perception of taste and mouthfeel in red wine
  • Sensory quality of wine: quality assessment by merging ranks of an expert-consumer panel
Current literature – viticulture
  • How do herbicide drifts affect your grapevines: symptoms and vine sustainability
  • Allometric relationships for estimating vegetative and reproductive biomass in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.)
  • ABA application during flowering and fruit set reduces berry number and improves cluster uniformity
  • South America's extreme terroirs
  • Leaf removal and cluster thinning efficiencies are highly modulated by environmental conditions in cool climate viticulture
  • Fungicide resistance – where to now?
  • Growers’ grapevine Pinot Gris virus questions answered
  • Approaching a century of growing Mondeuse at Brown Brothers
  • Malbec across the Andes
  • Future opportunities of proximal near infrared spectroscopy approaches to determine the variability of vineyard water status
  • Spatial variation of winegrape yield and berry composition and their relationships to spatiotemporal distribution of soil water content

eNews – January 2018

31 January 2018 >

Grapevine virus testing and elimination

Advances in dissolved gas management

Results from AWRI Vineyard and Winery Practices Survey

Research reports available from AWRI website

Optimise ferments in vintage 2018

Events across Australia

Order the latest AWRI staff publications online

Acknowledgement

Celebrating 25 years of the Advanced Wine Assessment Course
The AWRI and the University of Adelaide recently annouced an agreement to transfer the grapevine virus testing and elimination services previously provided by Waite Diagnostics to the AWRI. The services offered, which include testing for 12 grapevine viruses and phytoplasmas, as well as other pathogens responsible for crop diseases, will continue to be provided by the same experienced personnel, including virologist Dr Nuredin Habili. Dr Habili has more than 20 years’ experience working with plant viruses and has been involved in the research and development of the services provided. In addition to identification services, elimination of deleterious viruses from grapevines using chemotherapy is also available. More detailed information and sampling requirements can be found on the virus testing page of the AWRI website. The virus testing team can be contacted on 08 8313 7426 or commercialservices@awri.com.au.

Advances in dissolved gas management

Automated dissolved gas management systems using membrane contactors for gas transfer have recently been introduced to the Australian wine industry. They potentially allow for faster and more precise dissolved gas adjustment and reduced gas consumption. AWRI Senior Engineer, Simon Nordestgaard, recently published an article in the January issue of Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker reviewing how these technologies work and comparing them with alternatives: Click here to access the article.

Results from AWRI Vineyard and Winery Practices Survey

A major survey of Australian vineyard and winery practices was conducted in late 2016. Around 690 responses were received, covering 19% of Australia’s vineyard area and 74% of tonnes processed. Thanks are extended to all producers that participated. Follow-up visits were performed during 2017 to provide context to industry trends, and a final report will be issued later this year. This is one of the most comprehensive surveys ever taken in the Australian grape and wine sector and it is intended to be repeated at regular intervals so that trends in technology adoption and practice change can be tracked over time.

Preliminary vineyard data was presented at the ASVO seminar in August where it formed the basis for a panel discussion on the take-up of technologies such as mechanised cane pruning, treatment of pruning wounds, recycle sprayers, mechanical leaf plucking, precision viticulture and destemming harvesters. Preliminary winery data was presented at the Crush Symposium in November, including information on the take-up of cross-flow filtration, flotation, and different heat and cold stabilisation techniques. Click here to access a pdf of the most recent survey presentation. For more information, contact Simon Nordestgaard on simon.nordestgaard@awri.com.au or 08 8313 6600.

Research reports available from AWRI website

In late December 2017, Wine Australia approved the AWRI’s Final Reports for projects conducted in 2013-2017. Those reports are now available for download (8 MB pdf file) from the RDE projects page on the AWRI website. That same page also provides a list of the AWRI’s current research, development and extension projects. For more information, please contact Ella Robinson on ella.robinson@awri.com.au or 08 8313 6600.

Optimise ferments in vintage 2018
The online AWRI Ferment Simulator has been updated for vintage 2018 and is available through the WineCloud. This free app uses powerful algorithms to model ferments as they progress and predict problems before they occur. A number of improvements have been made for 2018 based on user feedback, including the calculation of ferment rate and peak rate. For more information and to register for an account, visit the Ferment Simulator webpage.

Events across Australia

The AWRI is visiting 17 regions in January/February to deliver tastings and workshop events before vintage 2018 gets into full swing. The ‘Shiraz winemaking trials tasting workshop’ being presented across Australia showcases how different winemaking practices can influence final wine style. Fifteen different wines have been made from the same batch of Shiraz grapes using a range of different harvest dates and winemaking techniques. Tasting these wines is a great opportunity to explore the stylistic and compositional differences achieved when one winemaking variable is changed at a time.

In Victoria the Shiraz tasting is being combined with a ‘Pre-vintage workshop’ in three locations, which presents a range of practical tips to make the most of the upcoming vintage. In Tasmania, an ‘Addressing regional challenges’ workshop will be presented in Launceston and Hobart in mid-February. This workshop includes information on the latest technologies, analyses, process options and efficiencies to enable optimal quality grapegrowing and winemaking, with specific topics selected by the regional association.

Visit the AWRI events calendar now for a full list of upcoming events or contact the events team on events@awri.com.au or 08 8313 6600.

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’ published in Wine & Viticulture Journal (PDF format).

A list of AWRI publications published since the last eNews is included below:
1965 Chen, L., Capone, D.L., Jeffery, D.W. Chiral analysis of 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol and 3-sulfanylhexan-l-ol acetate in wine by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Anal. Chim. Acta 998: 83-92; 2017.

1966 Jayokody, H., Liu, S., Whitty, M., Petrie, P. Microscope image based fully automated stomata detection and pore measurement method for grapevines. Plant Meth. 13(94): 1-12; 2017.

1967 Bekker, M.Z., Wilkes, E.N., Smith, P.A. Evaluation of putative precursors of key ‘reductive’ compounds in wines post-bottling. Food Chem. 245: 676-686; 2017.

1968 Stockley, C. Ask the AWRI: Wine – a weighty issue. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (646): p. 44; 2017.

1969 Cowey, G., Coulter, A., Wilkes, E. Top tips for wine stabilisation. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (644): p. 71; 2017.

1970 Longbottom, M. Ask the AWRI: biosecurity and viticulture. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (647): 44-45; 2017.

1971 Johnson, D. 2017 Report. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (644): 4p.; 2017.

1972 Rinaldo, A., Bartowsky, E., Amos, J., Scrimgeour, N. Rapid assessment of wine yeast variability and vitality. Wine Vitic. J. 32(6): 18-21; 2017.

1973 Capone, D., Francis, L., Williamson, P., Herderich, M., Johnson, D. Struck match, freshness and tropical fruit: thiols and Chardonnay flavour. Wine Vitic. J. 32 (5): 31-35; 2017.

1974 Dry, P. Mondeuse noire. Wine Vitic. J. 32(5): p. 57; 2017.

1975 Pearson, W. Ladder of development: How scientific principles can help you refine your business. Thought Leadership 1: 80-85; 2017.

1976 Li, S., Wilkinson, K.L., Bindon, K.A. Compositional variability in commercial tannin and mannoprotein products. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. doi: 10.5344/ajev.2017.17057: 1-25;2017

1977 Longbottom, M. ASVO announces 2017 AWAC scholarship winner and Winemaker of the Year finalists. Wine Vitic. J. 32(5): 10-11; 2017.

1978 Dry, P. Barbera. Wine Vitic. J. 32(6): p. 52; 2017.

1979 Pastor, R.P., Restani, P., Di Lorenzo, C., Orgiu, F., Teissedre, P-L., Stockley, C., Ruf, J.C. Quini, C.I., Tejedor, N.G., Gargantini, R., Aruani, C., Prieto, S., Murgo, M., Videla, R., Penissi, A., Iermoli, R.H. Resveratrol, human health and winemaking perspectives. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2017.1400517: 1-19; 2017.

1980 Sadras, V.O., Moran, M.A., Petrie, P. Resilience of grapevine yield in response to warming. OENO one 51(4): 381-386; 2017.

1981 Coulter, A. Ask the AWRI: volatile acidity. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (648): p. 16; 2018.

1982 Abbott, T., Wilkes, E. Predicting outcomes: learning about ferments from big data. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (648): 54-55; 2018.

1983 Nordestgaard, S. Gains in speed, labour and gas consumption for winemakers: membrane contractors for management of dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (648): 61-67; 2018.

1984 Stockley, S. Where’s the limit? Drinking guidelines around the globe. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (648): 58-60; 2018.

1985 Hranilovic, A., Li, S., Boss, P.K., Bindon, K., Ristic, R., Grbin, P.R., van der Westhuizen, T., Jiranek, V. Chemical and sensory profiling of Shiraz wines co-fermented with commercial non-Saccharomyces inocula. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. DOI: 10.1111/ajgw.12320: 1-15; 2017.

1986 Pereira-Caro, G., Ordóñez, J.L., Ludwig, I., Gaillet, S., Mena, P., Del Rio, D., Rouanet, J-M., Bindon, K.A., Moreno-Rojas, J.M., Crozier, A. Development and validation of an UHPLC-HRMS protocol for the analysis of flavan-3-ol metabolites and catabolites in urine, plasma and feces of rats fed a red wine proanthocyanidin extract. Food Chem. 252: 49-60; 2018.

Acknowledgement

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 home for grapevine virus testing

30 January 2018 >

The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and the University of Adelaide have jointly announced that plant virus testing and elimination services formerly provided by Waite Diagnostics have been transferred to The Australian Wine Research Institute.

Christmas closure

22 December 2017 >

The AWRI will be closed over the Christmas/New Year period from 1:00pm on Friday 22 December and will re-open at 8:30am on Wednesday 27 December.

AWRI Commercial Services
The Commercial Services laboratories will be closed from 1:00pm on Friday 22 December and will re-open at 9.00am on Monday 8 January 2016.

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 0448 889 432 or helpdesk@awri.com.au for winemaking technical problem solving issues.

Marcel Essling 0418 816 311 or helpdesk@awri.com.au for viticulture and agrochemical issues.

Library
The John Fornachon Memorial Library will be closed from 1:00pm on Friday 22 December and will re-open at 9.00am on Monday 8 January 2016. 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.

Downy mildew infections reported following wet weather

21 December 2017 >

Examples of downy mildew ‘oil spots’ on grape leaves

Recent wet weather across a number of grapegrowing regions has led to conditions that are favourable to downy mildew infection of grapevines. Infections have been reported across some regions in SA and Victoria. Growers should take action now to minimise crop damage.

  • Monitoring – growers that have experienced wet weather should be carefully monitoring vines now for any signs of downy mildew infection. These include: golden-yellow, oily spots on leaves, which are best seen on the top side of the leaves. Generally, spots first appear as circular in shape and 8–10mm in diameter. In susceptible young leaves they can quickly grow bigger, reaching 20–30 mm in diameter in 10–14 days. More information on identifying signs of downy mildew infection, including photos, can be found in this Q&A document.
  • Treating infected vines – if signs of downy mildew infection are seen, eradicant sprays should be used.
  • Using preventative sprays – if no signs of infection are seen, preventative sprays should be applied. The ‘Dog book’ provides the most up-to-date information on spray options both for prevention and eradication of downy mildew.
  • Ensuring good spray coverage – sluccess in controlling fungal diseases depends on achieving good spray coverage. The AWRI recommends that spray equipment is well calibrated, and that spray coverage is checked using tools such as water sensitive papers.
  • Following resistance management strategies – it is essential to use fungicides from different groups to avoid fungicide resistance. CropLife resistance management strategies are outlined in the ‘Dog book’ and on the CropLife website.

Additional useful resources:

For more information about managing or preventing downy mildew, please contact the AWRI helpdesk on helpdesk@awri.com.au or 08 8 313 6600.

Detection of brown marmorated stink bug highlights importance of biosecurity vigilance

14 December 2017 >

Recent pest detection

  • The exotic pest brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) was recently detected in Western Sydney. Live bugs were found in electrical equipment that had been imported from Italy. Officers from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the Australian Government Department of Agriculture Water and Resources (DAWR) responded to the detection. The equipment and the container in which the bugs were found are under biosecurity control and will be chemically treated to eliminate the bugs.
  • Surveillance is also being conducted near the warehouse and pesticide has been used around the warehouse as a precaution; however, no brown marmorated stink bugs have been detected outside of the affected property. The Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP) continues to meet in response to this incident. A response plan is currently being considered by the committee and will soon be provided to the National Management Group for endorsement.
  • Photos and technical information about brown marmorated stink bug can be found in this Plant Health Australia fact sheet.

Impact in vineyards and wineries

  • Low numbers of brown marmorated stink bug (three per bunch) may result in physical damage to berries which predisposes them to bunch rots and yield loss.
  • Brown marmorated stink bugs are also known to cause wine taint if they end up in ferments.

Biosecurity awareness and reporting

Importers

  • The brown marmorated stink bug is a pest that opportunistically uses cargo containers and freight vehicles to hitchhike across countries and overseas. The bug’s capability to hitchhike and fly, and feed on a wide range of plant hosts, enables it to rapidly spread into new territories.
  • Anyone who receives imported goods should be vigilant in checking for pests which can be attached to containers, within the goods of the container or to other goods such as machinery. If any bugs or other pests are seen in a container, the contents should be left inside the container with the doors closed and the container should not be moved to another location. The DAWR See. Secure. Report. hotline on 1800 798 636 should be immediately contacted for assistance with managing the issue.

Vineyards / wineries

  • If growers or winemakers think they have seen brown marmorated stink bugs (or any other exotic pest) in the vineyard or winery they should phone the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.
  • The most effective way to detect brown marmorated stink bugs is by visually inspecting host plants. They are large bugs that give off a strong and bad odour when disturbed. They can be confused with a number of other brown-coloured stinkbugs that are present in Australia. There is a comprehensive identification guide on the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources website.

For further information about wine industry biosecurity arrangements, please contact Andrew Weeks, CEO Australian Vignerons on 0403 520 242.

For technical information about brown marmorated stink bug, please contact the AWRI helpdesk on 08 8313 6600.

New recommendation for iprodione

8 December 2017 >

Iprodione is registered with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority for control of botrytis bunch rot in grapes.

On 14 November 2017, a European Union decision was taken to withdraw authorisations for plant protection products containing iprodione as an active constituent. This ruling will come into effect before 5 March 2018.

This decision has resulted in uncertainty about the future tolerance for iprodione residues in wine destined for the European Union. It is recommended that wine-grape growers planning to apply products containing iprodione this season should contact their winery or grape purchaser prior to its use. The ‘Dog book’ recommendation has been changed to reflect this.

The latest version of the ‘Dog book’ can be viewed in the online pdf or mobile app available from the agrochemicals page on the AWRI website. For more information, please contact Marcel Essling on 08 8313 6600 or email helpdesk@awri.com.au.

This update is intended to provide the Australian grape and wine sector with agrochemical information and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any product.

eNews – November 2017

20 November 2017 >

Celebrating 25 years of the Advanced Wine Assessment Course

New RDE plan available

Riesling research underway during German vintage

Vintage workshop

Australia-China Young Scientist Exchange and Endeavour Scholarship

Precursors of ‘reductive’ aromas in bottled wine

AWRI Ferment Simulator – updated for 2018 vintage

New eBooks available

Order the latest AWRI staff publications online

Acknowledgement

Celebrating 25 years of the Advanced Wine Assessment Course
The first Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC) was held 25 years ago in August 1992. AWAC 44 is being held this week and this course will welcome the 1160th AWAC scholar to the judging system. The AWRI congratulates all past scholars of AWAC and thanks all AWAC guest judges who have provided their time, skill and experience to prepare the next generation of wine show judges.

The AWAC was the brainchild of Brian Croser AO, and was born in collaboration with the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia. The early courses were led by Peter Leske (then Leader of the AWRI’s Extension Services), renowned winemaker and AWRI Council member Geoff Weaver and Dr Terry Lee, AWRI Managing Director. First known as the AWASC (S for ‘Short’), its objective was to provide formal, intensive training in wine evaluation and judging techniques to wine industry members and thereby develop a larger, more professional pool of wine show judges and associates.

Over its 25-year history, the AWAC has proven to be an important contributor to the development of the Australian wine show system. Course participants gain an appreciation of the fundamentals of wine quality, are exposed to a wide range of Australian and international wine styles, and learn skills and techniques to judge large numbers of wine, quickly and reliably. The AWAC has been held in two states and at five different locations over the years, and is now based at the AWRI in Adelaide.

The AWAC, in partnership with regional and national wine shows, now awards an outstanding candidate in each course the position of dux. The recipient of this award is fast-tracked to an associate judge position at a national wine show. Information on how to become a wine show judge can be found in this FAQ.

The course has also led to development of an electronic wine show management system, ShowRunner. Originally developed for AWAC scoring, this system has now been expanded to include all aspects of running a wine show and is being used by more than 20 wine shows across Australia in 2017.

As it celebrates the AWAC’s 25th birthday, the AWRI would like to thank the many past and present staff who have assisted with the running of the course over the last 25 years.

To attend the next AWAC course in June 2018, register your interest here.

New RDE plan available
The AWRI’s new research, development and extension (RDE) plan for the period 2017-2025 is now available from the AWRI website and will be distributed to levy payers in early December. The plan was developed through a wide-ranging industry consultation process and details 5 major themes and 21 subthemes. Projects under each subtheme will be developed and refined through Annual Operating Plans. A list of current projects is available here. The themes and subthemes within the plan align with broad priorities identified in Wine Australia’s Strategic Plan and other relevant industry and government strategic directions.

The plan, which formally commenced on 1 July 2017, provides a clear direction for the AWRI’s RDE activities. Over time it will evolve in line with emerging opportunities, changes to industry priorities and needs and available funding. Industry feedback on the plan throughout its life is welcomed and actively sought. For more information, please contact Ella Robinson on 08 8313 6600 or ella.robinson@awri.com.au.

Riesling research underway during German vintage
Yevgeniya (Yevi) Grebneva, a joint PhD student with the AWRI and Geisenheim University in Germany, has recently completed a vintage in Germany looking at the influence of environmental and vineyard factors on the characters that develop in aged Riesling. This collaborative project is part of the ‘BAG’ alliance (Bordeaux, AWRI, Geisenheim), and in previous years has looked at differences in temperature and light exposure in Riesling vineyards in the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley.

The vineyards of Geisenheim University are in the Rheingau region of Germany, situated on a gentle slope on the northern banks of the Rhine river about 60 kilometres west of Frankfurt. These vineyards underwent treatments to alter canopy light exposure followed up with small-scale winemaking in the university winery. Yevi has recently returned to Adelaide with her German Riesling trial wines, and presented some of her data at the Crush grape and wine symposium. She will spend three years at the AWRI delving into aged Riesling character, and uncovering what Australia and Germany can learn from each other when it comes to how vineyard conditions affect how Riesling ages.

Vintage workshop

Vintage is approaching, and it is time to start thinking about upskilling vintage lab staff and making the most of available technology for 2018. AWRI Commercial Services will hold vintage workshops in early 2018 in Adelaide, the Barossa and Griffith to cover a range of vintage-specific skills for lab staff and winemakers.

Each workshop will be conducted in two parts. The first part will focus on the laboratory, with content aimed at new vintage casual staff, covering general wine laboratory skills and vintage-related analyses. The second part will focus on using the AWRI Ferment Simulator. This session will be relevant to both lab staff who may be entering ferment data, and winemakers who may need to use and interpret the data.

The Ferment Simulator session will be conducted in a computer suite, allowing participants to work hands-on with the Ferment Simulator as they learn. Participants will also have the opportunity to bring their own historical ferment data to work with if they wish.

Each part of the workshop will be conducted over a half day. Tickets cover both sessions but are transferable, so it is possible to send one person to the lab skills session and a second person to the Ferment Simulator session, using the same ticket.

Cost: $500 per ticket – includes lunch.

Dates:
Griffith: 17 January 2018
Barossa: 23 January 2018
Adelaide: TBC

To register interest in attending one of these workshops, please complete the registration form or for more information, email Neil Scrimgeour or Tadro Abbott or phone 08 8313 6600.

Australia-China Young Scientist Exchange and Endeavour Scholarship

AWRI Research Scientist, Agnieszka Mierczynska-Vasilev, has recently returned from China after being one of fourteen Australians selected to participate in the Australia-China Young Scientist Exchange Program. Run by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Agnieszka spent two weeks in China for the exchange program, and has returned to the AWRI with new research networks and prospects for collaboration. Agnieszka has also just been announced as a winner of a prestigious 2018 Endeavour Research Fellowship!

During her time in China, Agnieszka met a number of excellent researchers from China Agricultural University and Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University. There were some with whom she had a lot in common in terms of research interests, which helped quickly identify collaborative opportunities. The program was also a great opportunity to meet and develop relationships with the other emerging Australia research leaders involved in the exchange. While in China, Agnieszka also discussed the possibility of exchange programs between AWRI and China Agricultural University and Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University for staff and students, as well as the possibility of joint PhD supervision programs in the field of wine chemistry.

The Endeavour Scholarship will allow Agnieszka to initiate a research collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany, which will involve:

  • studying the nature of interactions between colloids in wine
  • characterising the structure of wine proteins responsible for wine haze
  • developing new techniques for the study of diffusion by macromolecules and colloids in wine.

Precursors of ‘reductive’ aromas in bottled wine

Recently published AWRI research has improved understanding of how ‘reductive’ aromas, such as those described as ‘rotten egg’, ‘onion’ and ‘garlic’ are released from precursor compounds in wine post-bottling. This work is important because while the precursors that determine the concentrations of ‘reductive’ sulfur compounds during fermentation are well defined, their roles in wines post-bottling have not been as clear. Results showed that the amino acids cysteine and methionine did not produce large concentrations of H2S; however, glutathione was associated with small increases of H2S, especially when present in combination with copper. Methylthioacetate and dimethyldisulfide made major contributions to methanethiol (MeSH) concentrations in both red and white wines, with up to 20% conversion of methylthioacetate to MeSH and up to 70% conversion of dimethyldisulfide to MeSH. Ethylthioacetate produced up to 39% ethanethiol (EtSH) in wines post-bottling. The presence of copper significantly affected the abilities of glutathione and dimethyldisulfide to produce H2S and MeSH, as well as the rate of H2S and MeSH formation. Wine pH also had a significant impact on MeSH and EtSH formation from the thioacetates.

The full paper detailing these results is accessible via the AWRI library: Bekker, M.Z., Wilkes, E.N., Smith, P.A. 2017. Evaluation of putative precursors of key ‘reductive’ compounds in wines post-bottling. Food Chem. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.10.123

AWRI Ferment Simulator – updated for 2018 vintage

The pre-vintage period is a great time to check out the AWRI Ferment Simulator and make plans to use it in vintage 2018. This free app, released last year, brings powerful algorithms for predicting ferment behaviour into a new online platform designed for ease of use on both desktops and mobile devices. The Ferment Simulator stores all ferment-related data (baume, temperature, juice analysis, pump-overs, additions and any other analysis performed). It provides warnings if ferments are progressing too slowly or too fast and allows modelling of possible corrective actions. A digital archive of ferment data allows users to search back through their ferment history, view old ferments and compare performance. New features have been added for 2018 including the prediction of peak fermentation rate, increased sampling frequency and a number of usability improvements. The Ferment Simulator is available as a free module on the WineCloud. For more information and to register for an account, visit the AWRI’s Ferment Simulator webpage.

New eBooks available

Nine new titles have recently been added to the AWRI’s Grape and Wine eBook Collection, with topics covering management of grapevine viruses, wine barrels, sustainable viticulture practices and understanding the sensory experience of tasting wine. To review the latest titles, visit the AWRI website and browse the two platforms. Access to the collection is reserved for Australian growers and winemakers who pay the Grape Research or Winegrape levy. For further information on using the collection, please consult the online guides or contact the AWRI information services team.

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’ published in Wine & Viticulture Journal (PDF format).

A list of AWRI publications published since the last eNews is included below:

1954 Smith, P., Schulkin, A., Dambergs, R., Kassara, S., Barter, S., Solomon, M., Birchmore, W., Bevin, C., Francis, L., Bindon, K. Assessment of relationships between grape chemical composition and grape allocation grade. Dry, P. (ed.) 2017. Searching for the sweet spot – the quest for optimal yield and quality. Proceedings ASVO seminar, Mildura, Victoria, 24-25 July, 2014. Adelaide, SA; Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology. 16-19; 2016.

1955 Sadras, V.O., Bonada, M., Moran, M.A., Petrie, P.R. Vines and wines in a warming climate. Dry, P. (ed.) Searching for the sweet spot – the quest for optimal yield and quality. Proceedings ASVO seminar, Mildura, 24-25 July, 2014. Adelaide, SA; Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology. 50-54: 2016.

1956 Bindon, K., Varela, C., Holt, H., Williamson, P., Francis, L., Kennedy, J., Herderich, M. Relationships between harvest time and wine composition in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon. Dry, P. (ed.) Searching for the sweet spot – the quest for optimal yield and quality. Proceedings ASVO seminar, Mildura, Victoria, 24-25 July, 2014. Adelaide, SA; Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology. 63-66; 2016.

1957 Wang, J., Capone, D.L., Wilkinson, K.L., Jeffery, D.W. Chemical and sensory profiles of rosé wines from Australia. Food Chem. 196: 682-693; 2016.

1958 Sternes, P.R., Costello, P.J., Chambers, P.J., Bartowsky, E.J., Borneman, A.R. Whole transcriptome RNAseq analysis of Oenococcus oeni reveals distinct intra-specific expression patterns during malolactic fermentation, including genes involved in diacetyl metabolism. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 257: 1-5; 2017.

1959 Hodson, G., Wilkes, E., Azevedo, S., Battaglene, T. Methanol in wine. BIO Web of Conferences 9(02028): 1-5; 2017.

1960 Williamson, P.O., Mueller-Loose, S., Lockshin, L., Francis, I.L. More hawthorn and less dried longan: the role of information and taste on red wine consumer preferences in China. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. DOI: 10.1111/ajgw.12309: 1-12; 2017.

1961 Bonada, M., Petrie, P.R., Edwards, E.J., McCarthy, M.G. The impact of winter drought on vine growth and wine quality. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (644): 41-43; 2017.

1962 Condé, B.C., Bouchard, E., Culbert, J.A., Wilkinson, K.L., Fuentes, S., Howell, K.S. Soluble protein and amino acid content affects the foam quality of sparkling wine. J. Agric. Food Chem. 65(41): 9110-9119; 2017.

1963 Godden, P. Ask the AWRI: Sooty mould. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (645): 30-32; 2017.

1964 Schmidt, S., Borneman, A., Kolouchova, R., McCarthy, J., Bellon, J., Herderich, M., Johnson, D. Spoilt for choice: picking the right yeast in a vibrant market. Wine Vitic. J. 32(5): 35, 37-38; 2017.

Acknowledgement

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.

 

Spring growth and wet conditions

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Wet weather conditions have been experienced in some grapegrowing regions in the last week. This presents a timely reminder to growers to assess their overall plant protection program. Significant or prolonged rainfall events increase the risk to grapevines from pathogens such as downy mildew and Botrytis. Growers should be vigilant in monitoring the disease status of their vines and, if symptoms of disease are present, assess why the disease has become established.

Some factors to consider:

  • In warm weather, shoots and leaves are growing rapidly and a two-week interval between sprays can mean a lot of tissue is unprotected. If rainfall occurs near the end of a spray cycle, the risk of infection is high.
  • It’s important to think about how ‘rainfast’ the chemicals being used are. Products that are systemic need time on the leaf for uptake. Once in the leaf, further rain is not a concern but as the leaf expands the chemical concentration decreases. Products that provide a protective layer on the surface of the leaf will be degraded by sun, rain and wind. Leaf expansion will also reduce coverage.
  • Is good spray coverage being achieved? The only way to know is to check, using wettable paper, fluorescent dye or kaolinite clay. If coverage is poor, many factors can play a role including spray cart travel speed, spray rate, direction of spray, nozzle condition and volume/speed of air output. When testing spray coverage, changes should be made one at a time, with coverage being checked after each change.
  • Rainfall duration, leaf wetness and temperature are key drivers for disease (especially downy mildew), so it is a good idea to record this information and combine it with knowledge of the disease life-cycle to help make disease management decisions. Vineyard management factors that can be adjusted include spray timing, choice of agrochemicals and shoot or leaf removal to change canopy architecture.
  • If disease is present, despite optimum timing and coverage of the vineyard spray program, it is possible that a fungal population is present that is resistant to the agrochemical(s) used. The resistance management strategies outlined in the ‘Dog book’ should be followed.

Useful resources/links:

The AWRI helpdesk provides technical support and advice to Australian grapegrowers and winemakers. Contact the helpdesk on 08 8313 6600 or email helpdesk@awri.com.au.