The Australian Wine Research Institute

The Australian Wine Research Institute Blog

AWRI webinar series 2016

3 August 2016 >

The AWRI webinar series for 2016-17 starts on 18 August. A series of 20 webinars will be presented between now and May 2017, covering a wide range of winemaking and viticulture topics. Each webinar consists of a presentation followed by a Q&A session and is held at 11:30 am Australian Central Time (Adelaide, GMT+9:30), usually on a Thursday. All AWRI webinars are free to attend.

The first four webinars will be:

18 August 2016: Luxury wine – Gregoire Patacq, AWRI

25 August 2016: Impact of pruning time and temperature on wine attributes – Martin Moran, SARDI

1 September 2016: Stuck ferments – what can you do? – Adrian Coulter, AWRI

8 September 2016: Practical implementation of precision viticulture in vineyards – Colin Hinze, Taylors Wines

Register now or find out more at: http://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/courses-seminars-workshops/webinars/.

Registration confirmation
After registering for a webinar, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the session.

System requirements
You will need a computer with an internet connection. Participants can dial in via phone using the provided number or audio can be connected over the internet using the computer’s microphone and speakers (voice over internet protocol – VOIP). A headset is highly recommended.

Questions or help needed? Please contact infoservices@awri.com.au or phone 08 8313 6600.

eNews – July 2016

11 July 2016 >

Balancing black pepper flavour and phenolic richness in red wine

New projects on digital viticulture and smoke taint

Nominations open for AWRI Board positions

Capturing the luxury market

Entwine Australia – 2016/17 membership now open

Optimising MLF and avoiding spoilage

AWITC workshops – from vineyard management to packaging impacts

What’s new in eBooks?

Order the latest AWRI staff publications online

Acknowledgement

 

Balancing black pepper flavour and phenolic richness in red wine
Glasses of red wine in a row on a table Water deficit during ripening increases the concentration of anthocyanins and tannins in red wines but irrigation can enhance rotundone, the aroma compound responsible for black pepper flavour in red wines. The dilemma of wanting both phenolic richness and higher rotundone can be overcome by using a cane-cutting technique in the vineyard.

Results from this and other rotundone-related research will be presented in AWITC workshop W30 ‘Spicing up your world: black pepper flavour in wines’ in Adelaide on Wednesday 27 July. Attendees will taste peppery varieties of wines from across the world (including France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand and Japan) and hear the latest research on practical ways to influence rotundone in the vineyard and winery.

On-vine drying with cutting of the fruit-bearing cane two to three weeks prior to harvest was found to have a limited impact on rotundone level in wine. However, when irrigation was combined with the cane-cutting technique, significant gains were seen in rotundone levels, anthocyanins and total phenolic index in wine, and in skin to juice ratio. The full paper detailing these results is accessible via the AWRI library: Geffroy, O., Siebert, T., Herderich, M., Mille, B., Serrano, E. 2016. On-vine grape drying combined with irrigation allows to produce red wines with enhanced phenolic and rotundone concentrations. Scientia Horticulturae. doi 10.1016/j.scienta.2016.05.031.

To register for the black pepper workshop, visit the AWITC registration page now or contact the conference office on info@awitc.com.au or 08 8313 6821.

New projects on digital viticulture and smoke taint
vineyard-360x283 Deputy Prime Minister the Hon. Barnaby Joyce recently announced a range of new projects funded by the Australian Government under the Rural R&D for Profit Programme. The AWRI is a partner in two of these projects, which will be administered by Wine Australia: ‘Digital technologies for dynamic management of disease, stress and yield’ and ‘Mitigation of climate change impacts on the national wine industry by reduction in losses from controlled burns and wildfires and improvement in public land management’.

As part of the digital viticulture project the AWRI will collaborate with Accolade Wines to develop spectral methods to measure the degree of fungal rots and other contaminants in grape loads delivered to the winery and evaluate options to apply these techniques at the weighbridge in real-time.

The smoke-related project involves collaboration with Agriculture Victoria and LaTrobe University, and has aims that include:

  • The development of an early warning system for smoke exposure which will enable the targeted application of protective sprays in vineyards at risk of smoke exposure.
  • Determining the critical distances that reduce the risk of controlled burns to vineyards.
  • The development of practical technologies and processes that prevent smoke taint compounds entering the grapes, and removing these compounds from grape must and wine.

Nominations open for AWRI Board positions

Nominations are sought for three Levy Payer-elected Director positions on the AWRI Board, which will become vacant on 31 December 2016. The AWRI’s Constitution provides that there will be not less than seven nor more than 11 Directors. Six of those directors are nominated and/or elected by organisations that pay the Wine Grapes Levy. Nominations close on Friday, 5 August 2016 at 5:00 pm.

Levy payers in the small (<2,000 tonnes), medium (2,001-50,000 tonnes) and large (50,001+ tonnes) producer categories are called on to nominate suitably qualified candidates for the vacant positions. This is an excellent opportunity to become involved in the Australian wine industry’s own R&D organisation and provide a ‘coalface’ perspective to the direction and priorities of the AWRI’s research, development, extension and commercialisation activities.

In the event that more than one nomination is received for a particular category, an election will be held. Levy payers in that particular category will have the opportunity to vote for their preferred candidate. If an election is necessary, it will be held in August/September 2016 and further information will be published at the time. Successful candidates will take office on 1 January 2017 for a term of three years.

All Wine Grapes Levy payers will be sent an explanatory letter and nomination form in the week beginning 11 July 2016. Nominations close on Friday, 5 August 2016 at 5:00 pm. Nomination forms and further information on the AWRI Board and the nomination/election process can be found on the AWRI website.

Capturing the luxury market
Celebrate at shanghai China Did you know that Australia represented the strongest growth market for Porsche worldwide in the past two years, exceeding China and other emerging markets? A critical element to capturing this luxury market, both in Australia and in the substantial Asian markets, is an understanding of the true motivations behind consumer purchasing decisions and appropriate product symbology.A new workshop, ‘Creating product premiums using luxury and design thinking business strategies’, to be held at the AWITC in Adelaide on Sunday 24 July, provides an opportunity to explore this exciting area. The workshop, convened by Vince O’Brien, will feature a unique series of internationally renowned speakers sharing their knowledge on the luxury market opportunity, elucidating the consumer needs that drive purchasing behaviours and harnessing emotive appeal to develop product premiums.

Speakers include:

  • Goran Roos, formerly SA Thinker in Residence and Member of the Economic Development Board of South Australia
  • Anne-Flore Maman, ESSEC business school – internationally acclaimed expert on luxury business strategy
  • George Peepou, University of Technology – Design Innovation Research Centre
  • Gjoko Muratovski, Auckland University of Technology – Head of Department Communication Design
  • Gregoire Patacq, AWRI – Advanced Masters Graduate of the ESSEC business school

To register, visit the AWITC website or contact the conference office on info@awitc.com.au or 08 8313 6821.

Entwine Australia – 2016/17 membership now open
Entwine-logo-300px Entwine Australia membership is now open for 2016/17. Entwine currently has more than 600 members across Australia who annually benchmark their sustainability performance to identify opportunities for improvement and to save money. This year, vineyard members are also able to complete a self-assessment of their vineyard practices and access additional resources through Entwine. New members are always welcome! To get a feel for Entwine and the reports available to members, a free updated version of the Australian Wine Carbon Calculator is now available, along with an updated user manual. For more information, visit the AWRI website and join online.

The AWRI Extension and Outreach team has almost completed its national workshop tour, ‘Opportunities in a new climate’. One of the final opportunities to attend these free workshops will be on Sunday 24 July at the 16th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference (AWITC). The workshop will bring together speakers from across Australia to discuss the wine industry’s environmental credentials, how Australia fares against international competitors and will also present the new Entwine case studies. If you or anyone from your region or business is attending the AWITC and has not seen the new features of Entwine, encourage them to register for the workshop.

Optimising MLF and avoiding spoilage

Malolactic fermentation is a key step in the production of many wines, but can also be a high risk time in a wine’s life due to long periods of time with low levels of SO2. The AWRI helpdesk has recently developed two new fact sheets that bring together information to help winemakers maximise their chances of a successful MLF and avoid spoilage. The first factsheet ‘Achieving successful malolactic fermentation’ provides practical information on how to inoculate, conduct and monitor MLF and the optimal wine conditions for a successful outcome. The second fact sheet ‘Avoiding spoilage by lactic acid bacteria’ addresses spoilage issues caused by the different types of lactic acid bacteria, with details of the sensory characters they can cause and advice on preventing this type of spoilage. For more information on successful MLF or avoiding LAB spoilage, contact the AWRI helpdesk on 08 8313 6600 or helpdesk@awri.com.au.

AWITC workshops – from vineyard management to packaging impacts
Workshop-360px AWRI staff are convening 16 workshops at this year’s AWITC, as well as coordinating the overall workshop program. AWRI workshops cover a wide range of research areas and activities including wine flavour, wine yeast and bacteria, consumer insights, managing vineyards to adapt to climate change, lees handling and wine clarification. Workshops will present unique opportunities to taste research-related wines, hear from local and international experts and ask questions in a smaller group format than the plenary sessions. Visit the AWITC website to see full details of the workshop program and to buy workshop tickets. This year’s workshops have been scheduled for Sunday 24 July and the morning of Wednesday 27 July to avoid any overlap with the plenary sessions.

The workshops convened or co-convened by AWRI staff are:

W01 Consumer insights in China (Patricia Williamson)
W02 New degrees of freedom: red winemaking with novel maceration technologies (Simon Nordestgaard)
W05 Vineyard management to adapt to climate change (Paul Petrie)
W06 Novel yeast for new wine styles (Jenny Bellon)
W09 Entwine Australia: demonstrating the Australian wine industry’s environmental performance (Mardi Longbottom)
W11 A comprehensive review of the wine and health landscape (Creina Stockley)
W13 The impact of packaging on wine development and shelf life (Neil Scrimgeour)
W17 Recent advances in flavour research: new understanding of key volatile compounds and their sensory significance (Dimitra Capone and Leigh Francis)
W19 Oxygen and sulfur: a breath of fresh air? (Martin Day and Mark Smith)
W20 Malolactic fermentation: pushing the boundaries to improve strains, reliability and wine quality (Peter Costello)
W22 Creating product premiums using luxury and design thinking business strategies (Vince O’Brien)
W26 Grape quality: objective measures and impacts on wine style (Keren Bindon, Paul Smith and Leigh Francis)
W27 Wine clarity: managing hot and cold stability in white wines (Eric Wilkes and Jacqui McRae)
W29 An exploration of Australian and Portuguese vintage and tawny fortified wines (Peter Godden)
W30 Black pepper flavour in wines from around the world (Tracey Siebert and Mark Krstic)
W37 Lees: minimising volumes and recovering better juice and wine (Simon Nordestgaard)
W39 The changing regulatory environment of Australian wine (Creina Stockley)

What’s new in eBooks?

Ten new eBooks have recently been added to the AWRI’s collection, with topics covering social media strategies in the wine industry, sustainability, consumer preference, South African and Italian wine regions and managing quality.To keep in touch with the eBook collection and review the latest books, visit the New eBooks page on the AWRI website. Not sure how to go about reading an eBook? Check out this this webinar or contact the AWRI Information Services team (infoservices@awri.com.au).

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

1822 Petrie, P., Sadras, V. Quantifying the advancement and compression of vintage. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (628): 40-41; 2016.

1823 Essling, M. Ask the AWRI: Grazing sheep in vineyards. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (628): 46-47; 2016.

1824 Wilkes, E., Day, M., Herderich, M., Johnson, D. In vino veritas – investigating technologies to fight wine fraud. Wine Vitic. J. 31 (2): 36-38; 2016.

1825 Boban, M., Stockley, C., Teissedre, P.-L., Restani, P., Fradera, U., Stein-Hammer C., Ruf, J. Drinking pattern of wine and effects on human health: why should we drink moderately and with meals? Food Funct. DOI: 10.1039/C6FO00218H; 2016.

1826 Geffroy, O., Siebert, T., Herderich, M., Mille, B., Serrano, E. On-vine grape drying combined with irrigation allows to produce red wines with enhanced phenolic and rotundone concentrations. Sci. Hortic. 207: 208-217; 2016.

1827 Wilkes, E., Warner, L. Sugar analysis – too many choices? Wine Vitic. J. 31 (3): 68-72; 2016.

1828 Borneman, A., Chambers, P., Schmidt, S., Forgan, A., Kolouchova, R., Herderich, M., Johnson, D. Wine yeast: where are they from and where are we taking them? Wine Vitic. J. 31 (3): 47-49; 2016.

1829 Godden, P. Documenting 30 years of technological change in the Australian wine industry. Wine Vitic. J. 31 (3): 11-16; 2016.

1830 Dry, P. Montepulciano. Wine Vitic. J. 31 (3): p. 61; 2016.

1831 Longbottom, M. Excitement ahead of the Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference. Wine Vitic. J. 31 (3): p. 11; 2016.

1832 Wilkes, E., Day, M., Herderich, M. Johnson, D. In vino veritas – investigating technologies to fight wine fraud. Wine Vitic. J. 31 (2): 36-38; 2016.

1833 Dry, P. Assyrtiko. Wine Vitic. J. 31 (2): p. 55; 2016.

1834 Sternes, P.R., Borneman, A.R. Consensus pan-genome assembly of the specialised wine bacterium Oenococcus oeni. BMC Genom. 17 (308): 15 p.; 2016.

1835 Johnson, D. See you in July. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (629): p. 20; 2016.

1836 Coulter, A. Ask the AWRI: KHT deposits and cold stability. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (629): p. 76; 2016.

1837 Nordestgaard, S. Five-yearly AWRI Technical Survey to track changes in practices. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (629): p. 81; 2016.

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.

Toasting three terrific tasters

24 June 2016 >

The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) announced today the winners of the dux of three recent Advanced Wine Assessment Courses (AWACs). Mr Tim Perrin, Winemaker, Oakridge Wines, was named dux of AWAC 36, Mr Tim Bourne, Assistant Winemaker, Sons of Eden, was named dux of AWAC 37 and Ms Stephanie Dutton, Winemaker, Penfolds, was named dux of AWAC 38.

Agrochemical update June 2016: new ‘Dog book’ available

22 June 2016 >

The 2016/17 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 or mobile app. A hard copy will be distributed to levy payers by mail and will also be included with the next issue of Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker.

This agrochemical update summarises the major changes compared with the previous version.

Re-entry periods

To raise awareness of the label-mandated directions concerning re-entry into vineyards after spraying, the following advice is now provided (page 22).

The re-entry period is the minimum amount of time that must pass between when an agrochemical is applied to an area and when that area can be entered without protective clothing and equipment.

Re-entry periods are set to protect people from exposure to agrochemicals that can occur by inhalation or skin contact if they enter an area without proper protective equipment.

The agrochemical label provides information on the re-entry period and any protective clothing or equipment that must be used if the re-entry period is not met. Different products from the same activity group may have different re-entry requirements. The advice provided in these tables is the most stringent re-entry period for the active constituent.

Where the re-entry period specifies a range of days, the shorter period relates to low exposure activities and the longer period to higher exposure activities. Check the label for details.

A key to the re-entry requirements for specific active constituents has been included as a new column in the list of registered products (pages 15-21) with the guidelines summarised on page 22.

The applicability of the 'Recommendations' to your business

The following statement has been emphasised on page 3 in the 2016/17 edition to raise awareness that the 'Recommendations'; aim to meet the strictest maximum residue limit (MRL) of all key export markets. For businesses that know the markets their products are going to be sold into, there may be less stringent guidelines that can be followed. The AWRI can be contacted for advice.

These recommendations have been developed as a general guide and assume that the wine will be sent to a range of overseas markets, each with differing MRLs. If you only sell wine in Australia, or to only a few countries, contact the AWRI to discuss how the recommendations might differ. The AWRI can also provide advice regarding the persistence of a chemical on grapes or through winemaking, and MRLs for most major export destinations.

New active constituents

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

FENPYRAZAMINE
APVMA 68251
Prolectus is registered for control of botrytis (Botrytis cinerea). Prolectus is a Sumitomo Chemical Australia product. The label withholding period (WHP) is DO NOT apply after E-L 31. Recommended restriction on use for grapes destined for export wine: Use no later than E-L 25, 80% capfall.

FLUMIOXAZIN
APVMA 80647
Chateau is registered for the control of various grass and broadleaf weeds under grapevines. Chateau is a Sumitomo Chemical Australia product. The label recommends the product be used between the post-harvest period and budbreak.

Active constituents removed

The following active constituents have been removed from the 'Dog book' because they are either no longer registered with the APVMA for use in viticulture or are no longer available.

AZINPHOS-METHYL
Activity group 1B insecticide registered for elephant weevil, fig longicorn, grapevine hawk moth, grapevine scale and light brown apple moth.

FENAMIPHOS
Activity group 1B insecticide previously registered for nematodes.

FENARIMOL
Activity group 3 fungicide previously registered for powdery mildew. Changes to Dog book 'Recommendations'

CAPTAN
The European Union notification of a change to the maximum residue level (MRL) and residue definition for the fungicide captan has meant that captan is not recommended for use on grapes destined for export wines. Contact your winery or grape purchaser prior to any application of captan.

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 2016 issue available online

9 June 2016 >

The June 2016 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
  • Volatile flavour profile of reduced alcohol wines fermented with the non-conventional yeast species Metschnikowia pulcherrima and Saccharomyces uvarum
  • What’s old is new again: yeast mutant screens in the era of pooled segregant analysis by genome sequencing
  • Heterologous production of raspberry ketone in the wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae via pathway engineering and synthetic enzyme fusion
  • The effects of pH and copper on the formation of volatile sulfur compounds in Chardonnay and Shiraz wines post-bottling
  • The relationships between alcohol, wine and cardiovascular diseases – a review
  • Impact of grapevine exposure to smoke on vine physiology and the composition and sensory properties of wine
  • Predicting alcohol levels
  • Winery lees: minimising volumes and recovering better quality juice and wine
  • Influencing consumer choice: short and medium term effect of country of origin information on wine choice
  • Role of wine components in inflammation and chronic diseases
Current literature – oenology
  • Skin particle size affects the phenolic attributes of Pinot Noir wine: proof of concept
  • Use of fortified pied de cuve as an innovative method to start spontaneous alcoholic fermentation for red winemaking
  • Malolactic fermentation before or during wine aging in barrels
  • Identification of piperitone as an aroma compound contributing to the positive mint nuances perceived in aged red Bordeaux wines
  • Oxygen consumption by red wines. Part I: consumption rates, relationship with chemical composition, and role of SO2
  • Reaction of oxygen and sulfite in wine
  • Oxygen consumption by red wines. Part II: differential effects on color and chemical composition caused by oxygen taken in different sulfur dioxide-related oxidation contexts
  • Innovative tools for stave selection and toasting: uncovering the impact of oak on wine style and composition
  • Splendide mendax: false label claims about high and rising alcohol content of wine
  • 1,4-cineole: a contributor to Australian Cabernet Sauvignon typicality
Current literature – viticulture
  • Top seven mistakes new grapegrowers make
  • Impact of crop level and harvest date: Ontario research looks at wine aroma compounds and sensory properties
  • Global adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops: challenges for the public sector
  • A new description and the rate of development of inflorescence primordia over a full season in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Chardonnay
  • Vine growth and physiological performance of two red grape cultivars under natural and reduced UV solar radiation
  • Cold injury prevention and mitigation: simple measures help growers avoid or minimize vineyard damage
  • Projecting future winegrape yields using a combination of Vitis vinifera L. growth rings and soil moisture simulations, northern California, USA
  • Adapting to climate change: the role of canopy management and water use efficiency in vineyards
  • Effects of mechanical harvest on grape quality
  • The efficacy of sulphur for powdery mildew control: developing powdery mildew best practice in New Zealand vineyards
  • Global harmonization of maximum residue limits for pesticides

Help turn your agricultural waste into profit

24 May 2016 >

SARDI and the Australian Wine Research Institute are conducting the Transforming Food Loss and Industry Waste into Profit Project.

This project is funded under the Industry-led Research Sub-Program (IRSP), which is part of the Regional Economic Development element of the $265 million South Australian River Murray Sustainability Program (SARMS). SARMS is funded by the Australian Government and delivered by Primary Industries and Regions SA, on behalf of the State Government.

Project participants include:

  • Potatoes South Australia
  • Treasury Wine Estates
  • Accolade Wines
  • S. Smith & Son (Oxford Landing Estates)
  • Pernod Ricard Winemakers
  • Citrus Australia – SA Region
  • Horticulture Innovation Australia Ltd
  • Regional Development Australia – Murraylands and Riverland.

The 14 month project aims to map agricultural and processing food loss and industry waste throughout the Riverland, Murraylands, and Murray Mallee area, assess actual or potential waste transformation infrastructure in the region, and determine what valuable food and wine bioactives and industry waste can be turned into higher value-added products and/or bioenergy. It is intended that the project will lead to new business and product development opportunities, will further support the regions environmental credentials, and will enhance regional capabilities, investment and employment.

For the project to be successful we need your help. If you are a food or wine primary producer, processor (including food packer, manufacturer or winery) or industry support provider in the SARMS focus area please take a minute to complete the relevant survey. For some vertically integrated companies this may involve all three surveys, although different company representatives may be responsible for each survey.

All completed surveys (where contact details are provided) will go into a draw for a new 32gb iPad Pro valued at $800, thanks to AWRI.

Go to the survey for your industry:

For more information on the project please contact Dr Steve Lapidge, SARDI Director of Science Partnerships, steven.lapidge@sa.gov.au or on 0401 990 367.

eNews – May 2016

9 May 2016 >

Vale Dr Chris Somers

Polysaccharides turning down the heat on white wine

Grazing sheep in vineyards to cut fuel use

Lees – minimising product losses and maximising quality

Restarting stuck or sluggish ferments

‘Dog book’ updates in progress

AWITC – time to book workshops, dinner tickets and accommodation

Revised version of the Food Standards Code

Order the latest AWRI staff publications online

Vale Dr Chris Somers
chris-somers The AWRI community was saddened to hear of the death of Dr Chris Somers in April this year. Dr Somers was a highly respected researcher at the AWRI from 1962 to 1990 who leaves behind a significant scientific legacy. His highly influential work on wine colour and tannin is known worldwide and forms the foundation for current research in this area. His name lives on in the suite of spectral analyses used today to measure wine colour and phenolics, known as the ‘Somers’ method’. After his retirement, Dr Somers published a book entitled The Wine Spectrum: an approach towards objective definition of wine quality.

Polysaccharides turning down the heat on white wine
white-wine-360px Polysaccharides in white wine can inhibit both tartrate and protein precipitation, which means that higher levels of polysaccharides could lower the amount of energy and bentonite needed to achieve cold and heat stability. But how do increased levels of polysaccharides affect white wine mouth-feel? In a recently published study, white wines ‘fortified’ with realistic levels of white wine polysaccharides were seen as less ‘hot’ and in the case of higher pH wines, more viscous.

The study also found that the polysaccharides from grape pulp and those released by yeast during ferment were most likely responsible for the reduced hotness and increased fullness. Alcohol level and pH were found to be the largest influencers of mouth-feel and tastes in white wine – hotness, bitterness, fullness, acidity and astringency – making these key parameters for winemakers. The full paper detailing these results is accessible via the AWRI library: Gawel, R., Smith, P.A., Waters, E.J. 2016 Influence of polysaccharides on the taste and mouthfeel of white wine. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. DOI: 10.1111/ajgw.12222

Grazing sheep in vineyards to cut fuel use

For many growers the biggest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the vineyard is from fuel use. Australian vineyards are generally highly mechanised, and diesel is also used on some properties to pressurise irrigation systems. Using sheep to control midrow and undervine growth is one option to reduce the need for slashing and spraying and therefore reduce vineyard management costs and GHG emissions. Cumulus Vineyards in Orange, NSW recently trialled the use of sheep in the vineyard to assess the impacts on vineyard inputs, especially fuel use.

The results of the trial led to Cumulus Vineyards grazing sheep across their entire 508 hectares which saved two tractor passes through the vineyard per year (one for slashing and one for spraying herbicide). The full results and more information about sheep grazing in vineyards can be found in a new case study developed as part of the Extension and Outreach project funded by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.

The AWRI Extension and Outreach team will be presenting a suite of new case studies including this one in a series of workshops around Australia in the coming months. Workshops will be publicised through regional associations, email notifications, the AWRI website, the Australian Grape and Wine Events Calendar and Twitter. For more information, please visit the AWRI website here or contact the AWRI helpdesk on helpdesk@awri.com.au or 08 8313 6600.

Lees – minimising product losses and maximising quality

Wine lees are typically processed by rotary drum vacuum filtration to recover the wine that is tied up in the lees. This can, however, result in product losses and quality downgrades. The AWRI is currently conducting research on wine lees and is convening an AWITC workshop on lees (W37) on 27 July in Adelaide. In this workshop you will hear from wineries that have trialled or adopted some of the newest alternative technologies for lees recovery. You will also discover the latest results from the AWRI’s research project. For more information, download this article published in the March issue of Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower & Winemaker, or contact Simon Nordestgaard (simon.nordestgaard@awri.com.au or 08 8313 6600). Registrations for the conference and workshop are now open at http://www.awitc.com.au/registration.

Restarting stuck or sluggish ferments

The AWRI sent out an eBulletin on stuck fermentations last month in response to several wineries encountering stuck or sluggish fermentations. Winemakers were advised to take action quickly to rack wines off ferment lees and to conduct a restart or rescue scale up-based procedure to finish their ferments. The AWRI restart procedure was prepared with assistance from the major yeast suppliers and has a successful track record. Extra information on managing difficult ferments can also be found in the following article:

  1. AWRI’s 12 top tips for low risk wine fermentation and processing
  2. Top tips for a successful yeast culture

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

‘Dog book’ updates in progress

The preparation of the 2016/17 edition of Agrochemicals registered for use in Australian viticulture (the ‘Dog Book’) has begun. Manufacturers of agrochemicals used in viticulture are being contacted to find out about any new or discontinued products. The recommended withholding periods for grapes destined for export wines are also being carefully reviewed, in conjunction with the Agrochemicals Reference Group. Once completed, the information in the updated ‘Dog Book’ will be made available via both print and online formats, with the printed ‘Dog Book’ usually distributed in July.

For more information about the ‘Dog Book’, contact Marcel Essling on 08 8313 6600 or marcel.essling@awri.com.au.

AWITC – time to book workshops, dinner tickets and accommodation
awitc-workshop-360px You may have already registered for the upcoming Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference (which incorporates WFA’s Outlook Conference) but have you booked everything you need to make the most of your time in Adelaide? Conference workshop places are filling fast and the Maurice O’Shea Award Dinner will be a highlight of the week.

There are 39 workshops to choose from, held over three timeslots on Sunday 24 July and Wednesday 27 July. Topics include social media tips, canopy management, lean production, organic viticulture, hot and cold stability, oak, wine flavour, lab testing, taxation, sparkling wine and clones for climate change. All the details are available on the AWITC workshop page.

The Maurice O’Shea Award Dinner will take place on Monday 25 July, a short tram ride away from the conference at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. This dinner is always a very special night for the Australian wine community and, like the WFA Outlook sessions, is being held in conjunction with the AWITC for the first time in 2016. Conference delegates are eligible for discounted tickets to the dinner – so make sure you book your tickets through the AWITC.

If you have already registered for the conference, email info@awitc.com.au to add workshop and dinner tickets to your registration. If you haven’t registered yet, you can book everything in one place on the AWITC registration page. If you have any trouble, just call the AWITC office on 08 8313 6821. Special accommodation rates are also available for AWITC delegates – book via the AWITC accommodation page.

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

1806 Crauwels, S., Van Assche, A., de Jonge, R., Borneman, A.R., Verreth, C., Troels, P., De Samblanx, G., Marchal, K., Van de Peer, Y., Willems, K.A., Verstreppen, K.J., Curtin, C.D., Lievens, B. Comparative phenomics and targeted use of genomics reveals variation in carbon and nitrogen assimilation among different Brettanomyces bruxellensis strains. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 99: 9123-9134; 2015.

1807 Williamson, P.O., Lockshin, L., Francis, I.L., Loose, S.M. Influencing consumer choice: short and medium term effect of country of origin information on wine choice. Food Qual. Pref. 51: 89-99; 2016.

1808 Nordestgaard, S., Abbott, T. Winery lees: minimising volumes and recovering better quality juice and wine. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (626): 62-64; 2016.

1809 Cowey, G. Ask the AWRI: Predicting alcohol levels. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (626): p. 68; 2016.

1810 Johnson, D. Teasing [OUT] terroir. WBM (March/April): 56-57; 2016.

1811 Ristic, R., Fudge, A.L., Pinchbeck, K.A., de Bei, R., Fuentes, S., Hayasaka, Y., Tyerman, S.D., Wilkinson, K.L. Impact of grapevine exposure to smoke on vine physiology and the composition and sensory properties of wine. Theor. Exp. Plant Physiol. 28 (1) 67-83; 2016.

1812 Stockley, C.S. The relationships between alcohol, wine and cardiovascular diseases – A review. Nutr. Aging 3 (2-4): 55-88; 2015.

1813 Bekker, M.Z., Mierczynska-Vasilev, A., Smith, P.A., Wilkes, E.N. The effects of pH and copper on the formation of volatile sulfur compounds in Chardonnay and Shiraz wines post-bottling. Food Chem. 207: 148-156: 2016.

1814 Mierczynski, P., Vasilev, K., Mierczynska, A., Maniukiewicz, W., Szynkowska, M.I., Maniecki, T.P. Bimetallic Au-Cu, Au-Ni catalysts supported on MWCNTs for oxy-steam reforming of methanol. Appl. Catal. B Environ. 185: 281-294; 2016.

1815 Lee, D., Lloyd, N.D.R., Pretorius, I.S., Borneman, A.R. Heterologous production of raspberry ketone in the wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae via pathway engineering and synthetic enzyme fusion. Microb. Cell Fact. 15 (49): 1-7; 2016.

1816 Taylor, A., Barlow, N., Day, M.P., Hill, S., Patriarca, M., White, M. Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of clinical and biological material, foods and beverages. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 31 (3): 554-595; 2016.

1817 Curtin, C., Cordente, T. What’s old is new again: yeast mutant screens in the era of pooled segregant analysis by genome sequencing. Microbial Cell 3 (4): 1-2; 2016.

1818 Varela, C., Sengler, F., Solomon, M., Curtin, C. Volatile flavour profile of reduced alcohol wines fermented with the non-conventional yeast species Metschnikowia pulcherrima and Saccharomyces uvarum. Food Chem. 209: 57-64; 2016.

1819 Moran, M., Petrie, P., Sadras, V. Sensory attributes of Barossa Shiraz 2015 in response to warming and pruning date. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (627): 50-51; 2016.

1820 Stockley, C. Ask the AWRI: Health and nutrition labelling. Aust. N.Z. Grapegrower Winemaker (627): p. 66; 2016.

1821 Waterhouse, A.L., Lamuela-Raventós, R.M., Quifer-Rada, P., Stockley, C.S. Wine. Shahidi, F., Alasalvar, C. (eds.) Handbook of functional beverages and human health. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group LLC: 739-755; 2016.

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.

 

Stuck ferments need a rapid response

19 April 2016 >

19 April 2016

As vintage draws to a close, the AWRI helpdesk is seeing an increase in enquiries related to stuck fermentations. The main drivers for stuck ferments this year have been high sugar levels, and thus higher alcohol concentrations, causing ferments to become sluggish. The majority of the stuck ferments so far have not been related to issues such as unusual organic acid profiles, high SO2 levels, low YAN levels or agrochemical residues.

If a stuck ferment is identified, winemakers are advised to take action quickly and not just hope the issue will go away. Problematic ferments should be addressed as soon as possible. If in doubt, follow the AWRI’s procedure for rescuing a stuck ferment. Note that it is important to keep tanks at around 20-22°C and off ullage.

Further fermentation resources, including tools for graphing ferments and the wine fermentation simulator tool, can be found on the AWRI’s wine fermentation web page.

For assistance with tracking or restarting your ferments, please call the AWRI helpdesk team on 08 8313 6600 or email helpdesk@awri.com.au.

Technical Review April 2016 issue available online

13 April 2016 >

The April 2016 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
  • Terpene evolution during the development of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Shiraz grapes
  • Wine tannin structure and extraction: review of current research
  • Rosé wine volatile composition and the preferences of Chinese wine professionals
  • Whole genome comparison reveals high levels of inbreeding and strain redundancy across the spectrum of commercial wine strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
  • Effect of elevated CO2 and temperature on phenology, carbohydrates, yield and grape composition – preliminary results
  • Interactions between phenolics, alcohol and acidity in determining the mouthfeel and bitterness of white wine
  • Assessing the environmental credentials of Australian wine
  • Certified clone and powdery mildew impact rotundone in red wine from Vitis vinifera L. cv. Duras N.
  • Baume to alcohol: it’s only an approximation
  • Accentuated cut edges (ACE): effects of skin fragmentation on the composition and sensory attributes of Pinot Noir wines
  • A review of the relationship between wine consumption and type 2 diabetes mellitus
Current literature – oenology
  • Effects of cap and overall fermentation temperature on phenolic extraction in Cabernet Sauvignon fermentations
  • Oxygen transfer rate in oak barrels
  • ‘Orange’ wine: white wines made as red
  • Hydrogen sulfide production by yeast during alcoholic fermentation: mechanisms and mitigation
  • Involvement of dimethyl sulfide and several polyfunctional thiols in the aromatic expression of the aging bouquet of red Bordeaux wines
  • Sulfur dioxide and glutathione alter the outcome of microoxygenation
  • PET packaging is the choice for quality wine
  • Enhancing the bioconversion of winery and olive mill waste mixtures into lignocellulolytic enzymes and animal feed by Aspergillus uvarum using a packed-bed bioreactor
  • Why is wine tasting so hard?
  • Minerality in Chasselas: a sensory notion shared by wine professionals?
Current literature – viticulture
  • Grape berry transpiration is determined by vapor pressure deficit, cuticular conductance, and berry size
  • A practical method for staging grapevine inflorescence primordia in season 1, with improved description of stages
  • Vine nitrogen status does not have a direct impact on 2‐methoxy-3- isobutylpyrazine in grape berries and wines
  • Delayed grape ripening – more spice
  • Understanding soil organic matter
  • Climate change: effect of UV-B radiation on Tempranillo
  • What it costs to be certified organic or biodynamic: certifying vineyard and winery sites amounts to cents per bottle
  • Physiocap: the beginning of a new tool
  • The case for a national germplasm
  • Influence of leaf removal and reflective mulch on phenolic composition of white wines
  • Everything that’s old is new again – reworking in Australian vineyards
  • Vineyard design for low-alcohol wines: considerations during development can facilitate ripeness at lower Brix
  • A mechanistic model of Botrytis cinerea on grapevines that includes weather, vine growth stage, and the main infection pathways
  • Make your irrigation program more precise with technology