Did you know that winemakers who pay the Winegrapes and/or Grape Research levies can access a free-of-charge winemaking consultancy from the AWRI? Our Winemaking and Extension Services support team comprises experienced winemakers and technical staff. Services you can benefit from include:
The AWRI publication, Agrochemicals registered for Australian viticulture 2011/2012 (the ‘Dog Book’) has now been produced and is available for downloading from the AWRI website. Printed copies can be forwarded on request. Changes to the ‘Dog Book’ brought about by the registration decisions of the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA); changes to CropLife Australia resistance management strategies; and new product information are shown below.
Significant changes to the 2011/2012 ‘Dog Book’
1. Active constituents
CHLORANTRANILIPROLE
APVMA 61824
Altacor has been granted registration by the APVMA for control of Lightbrown Apple Moth and Grapevine Moth in grapes.
Altacor is a DuPont product. It contains the active constituent chlorantraniliprole which is a group 28 insecticide.
Restriction on use for export grapes: Use no later than 80% capfall.
Note: The recommendations section of the 2011/2012 ‘Dog Book’ for Grapevine Moth does not list chlorantraniliprole however the above restriction applies.
ETOXAZOLE
APVMA 56791
ParaMite has been granted registration by the APVMA for control of Two-spotted Mite in grapes.
ParaMite is a Sumitomo Chemical product. It contains the active constituent etoxazole which is a group 10B insecticide.
Restriction on use for export grapes: Use no later than 30 days before harvest.
METRAFENONE
APVMA 63487
Vivando has been granted registration by the APVMA for control of Powdery Mildew in grapes.
Vivando is a CropCare product. It contains the active constituent metrafenone which is a group U8 fungicide.
Restriction on use for export grapes: Use no later than 80% capfall.
FLUSILAZOLE
Nustar DF is no longer registered by APVMA. The following ruling applies:
While it is an offence against the Agvet Codes to possess, supply or use an unregistered chemical product, section 54 (2) allows a person, other than an importer or manufacturer, to deal with product in accordance with the APVMA’s instructions for 2 years after the day on which the registration ends (30 June 2010). As such, Nustar DF is permitted for use until 30 June 2012 and will remain in the Dog Book until next year.
2. New active combinations
GLYPHOSATE IPA + CARFENTRAZONE ETHYL
APVMA 63810
Broadway has been granted registration by the APVMA for control of a variety of weeds in vineyards. Consult the product label for details.
Broadway is a CropCare product. It contains the active constituent glyphosate (present as the isopropylamine salt) and carentrazone ethyl which are Group M and G herbicides respectively.
SULFUR + COPPER OXYCHLORIDE
APVMA 64640
Mildex WG has been granted registration by the APVMA for control of Powdery Mildew and Downy Mildew in grapevines.
Mildex WG is a Melpat International Pty Ltd product. It contains the active constituents sulfur and copper oxychloride.
Restriction on use for export grapes: Use no later than 30 days before harvest.
3. Old active with new target
BOSCALID
APVMA 59032
Filan has been granted registration by the APVMA for control of Powdery Mildew in grapevines.
Filan is a Nufarm Australia Ltd product. It contains the active constituent boscalid which is a Group 7 fungicide.
Restriction on use for export grapes: Use no later than 5% capfall (E-L growth stage 19-20). Do not apply to any set berries.
PARAFFINIC OIL
APVMA 54179
BioPest has been granted registration by the APVMA for control of Powdery Mildew in grapevines.
BioPest is a Sacoa product. It contains the active constituent paraffinic oil which is an unspecified fungicide group.
Restriction on use for export grapes: Use no later than 80% capfall.
4. Other
DUSTING SULFUR
Two dusting sulfur products are listed for Powdery Mildew control.
Restriction on use for domestic and export grapes: Use no later than 12 weeks before harvest.
5. Resistance management strategies
CropLife Australia has a new resistance management strategy for Group 11 fungicides (quinine outside inhibitors) in Downy Mildew control. The new instructions are now the same as that for Powdery Mildew:
DO NOT apply more than two sprays per season of Group 11 fungicides. If two consecutive applications of Group 11 fungicides are used, then they must be alternated with a fungicide from a different activity group.
Apply group 11 fungicides preventatively.
6. Permits
In most States, registered products must only be used for those approved purposes that are stated on the label. However, situations do arise whereby chemicals are needed for a use not specified on the label.
In such instances an ‘off-label’ permit may be obtained through the APVMA Permits Scheme. Such permits legally allow the use of chemicals in ways that are different to the uses specified on the product label and/or allow limited use of an unregistered chemical. This link lists the current off-label permits issued by the APVMA for grapevines in various situations. It is essential that you read the conditions attached to the permit prior to use.
This information is provided to inform the Australian grape and wine sector of agrochemical information, and should not be interpreted as an endorsement
The South Australian State Government has announced a $3.8 million investment to boost South Australia’s science and research capabilities to benefit the State’s mineral processing, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, optical and energy industries.
The metabolomics capability at The Australian Wine Research Institute was one of four recipients to share the investment.
Managing Director of The Australian Wine Research Institute, Dr Sakkie Pretorius, explains how this investment will help support quality wine production. “Wine itself is made up from several interacting ‘metabolomes’; with grape, yeast, bacteria, and oak metabolites all contributing to wine chemical composition which shapes a wine’s final characteristics. Metabolomics approaches in wine research therefore have the ability to provide a much greater understanding of how variables, such as environmental conditions and genetic variation of vines, yeast and bacteria, shape the sensory attributes of wines and distinguish the best vintages from the ‘also-rans’. Most importantly, greater information can be converted into greater knowledge which will ultimately lead to greater control for wine makers,” he said. “This funding investment by the South Australian State Government and with the support of Bioplatforms Australia allows the AWRI to embrace world-class ‘Big Science’ approaches to fast-track beneficial outcomes for the Australian wine industry.”
The new investment was also shared by:
The University of South Australia’s Ian Wark Research Institute and Flinders University for the purchase and operation of equipment to manufacture micro and nano scale devices as part of the South Australian node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility.
Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing at the University of Adelaide for optical fibre research equipment that will aid the development of the next generation of sensors that may one day enable the non-invasive monitoring of embryos and devices to remotely identify corrosion in aircraft.
Adelaide Proteomics Centre, a joint venture of the University of Adelaide and SA Pathology, to support research into the fight against diseases such as cancer and the development of therapeutics to treat the disease.
For further information, please contact Communications Manager, Rae Blair (rae.blair@awri.com.au).
Efficiency gains in the production process benefits your business. An improved management of winery wastewater not only is better for the environment, but may deliver improvements to your business sustainability. The Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWRDC) has funded the CSIRO and The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) to investigate technologies that may help wineries to reduce or recycle wastewater.
The first part of our project is to gain a good understanding of how wineries use water and how they manage wastewater. We’ve developed a survey and hope you can assist us by answering some questions. If you are not the most appropriate person in your winery to complete the survey, please forward this email to someone who is.
The project is intended to help identify technologies worthy of trials and detailed economic investigations. All responses to the survey will be used exclusively for the benefit of this project and no information will be used to identify specific organisations.
Should you have any queries regarding the survey, please contact Karl Forsyth, AWRI Senior Engineer on email: karl.forsyth@awri.com.au or by telephone: 08 8313 6600.
Challenges with botrytis, laccase and glucans – thanks to a wet harvest
If you are dealing with botrytis this vintage, you are not alone. This last month, 1 in 5 calls to our winemaking team have been about botrytis, as winemakers use all their skills this vintage to deal with the effects of processing botrytis affected fruit.
Wines made from grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea may contain laccase, an enzyme which, due to its relative stability in wine, is capable of causing serious oxidative damage. Winemaking strategies for treating botrytis infected fruit in the winery can be found here in our recent eBulletin.
AAlso be aware that botrytis can also produce and release glucans into juice and the resultant wine. Glucans are polysaccharides which are large molecules that can make the wine more difficult to filter. You can test for glucans using the polysaccharides test available on the AWRI website. Commercially available glucanases are available to break down these glucans.
Is that wine yeast up to the task? Choosing the right strain for difficult juices
Due to seasonal variation, vineyard management and differences in grape processing, grape juice composition can vary to the extent that not all yeast strains are capable of thriving in it to make quality wine. Until recently the degree to which grape juice nutrient composition could vary and how that variation affects fermentation performance was not well understood.
Recent work at the AWRI has begun to shed light on these dynamics through a survey of 100 different Chardonnay musts to determine composition and how this composition impacts on performance for different strains of wine yeast. The predominant factor limiting fermentation performance, after YAN, was juice pH. For some yeast strains low juice pH (less than 3.1) and associated low potassium levels can lead to prolonged (sub optimal) fermentation times, high residual sugar and elevated volatile acidity. This work has shown that winemakers working with low pH juices should consider insuring against fermentation difficulties and adverse quality outcomes through judicious choice of yeast strain.
You can access the paper describing the work via the AWRI library:
Schmidt SA, Dillon S, Kolouchova R, Henschke PA, Chambers PJ (2011) Impacts of variations in elemental nutrient concentration of Chardonnay musts on Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation kinetics and wine composition. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol DOI: 10.1007/s00253-011-3197-3
Should you require further assistance, please call the AWRI’s Winemaking and Extension Services team on 08 8313 6600 or contact us by email.
Your say is important to us
Recently, youve been given the opportunity to complete some surveys. As the industrys own innovation company, we work for you and what you have to say helps us to deliver to you more of what you really need regardless of your production size. Grape producers have been telling us about their pest and disease management strategies this season; wine industry members have been telling us what they want in our publication, Technical Review, and weve just asked wine producers to tell us about how they use water and wastewater in the production process. Improving your reality matters to us make sure you have your say.
Pest and disease management: Over 160 growers have logged onto http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2010_11Review and shared their experiences of the 2010/2011 growing season. The information collected about pest and disease management in difficult conditions is going to help regions identify what needs to be done to manage similar conditions in the future. All growers who support their region and complete the survey will be sent the collated results. The survey will be closed on 13 May and personal information is kept confidential. For more information contact Marcel Essling on 08 8313 0370.
Winery wastewater: CSIRO and the AWRI are investigating technologies that may help wineries to improve their business sustainability through improved management of water and wastewater. The first part of our project is to gain a good understanding of how wineries use water and how they manage wastewater. The project is intended to help identify technologies worthy of trials and detailed economic investigations. Click on this link to be taken to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/winery_wastewater. For more information contact Karl Forsyth.
Technical Review: So far, weve received comments from over 150 people regarding what they want from Technical Review in the future. Click on this link to access the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TR_reader_survey. For more information contact Rae Blair.
Want to know how transport and harvesting affects tropical aromas in your Savvy?
The effects of transport and processing on the compounds which form the tropical aromas in Sauvignon Blanc havent been well understood. Recent studies at the AWRI have revealed some interesting facts.
This study was carried out on a commercial-scale (2.5 tonne replicates) to have direct relevance to the wine industry. One of the most important findings was that a large increase in precursor concentrations was found after transportation of machine-harvested berries. This has implications for the varietal aroma profiles of wines exhibiting tropical and citrus characters.
In this same investigation, replicated experiments were carried out to ascertain the effects of different antioxidant treatments, among other aspects. Learn more about these findings from a scientific paper that has just been published; contact the AWRI library to request a copy.
Effects of Transporting and Processing Sauvignon blanc Grapes on 3-Mercaptohexan-1-ol Precursor Concentrations. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2011, 59 (9), 46594667 .Capone, D.L. and Jeffery, D.W.
For further information, contact Dimitra Capone tel. 08 8313 6689.
Hunter Valley and Adelaide Hills – were on our way!
Our Roadshow team are on their way to the Hunter Valley (18 May) and Langhorne Creek (25 May). Our presentations will address the technical production needs of each region.
The Australian Wine Research Institute will hold two seminars this month to address the issues faced by winegrape producers in the Hunter Valley and Adelaide Hills.
Producers in the Hunter Valley can attend the AWRI presentation on 18 May and those in Langhorne Creek can attend on 25 May.
The seminars are being held in response to a call for more information on how to deal with particular problems on behalf of the local associations in each region.
Amongst the presentations, AWRI Group Manager, Industry Development and Support Con Simos will present at both seminars, focusing on the options available in cold stabilising wine in the Hunter Valley, and management strategies for botrytis and downy mildew in Langhorne Creek.
He says the seminars provide a good opportunity to winemakers and grapegrowers to have their questions answered.
“The regional associations are given the opportunity to say ‘these are the issues and this is what we’d like you to talk about’,” Simos said. “And that’s what we do. It also gives us a great opportunity to interact with local members.”
Those who attend the seminars will also be given an opportunity to discuss other issues not covered in the presentations with the speakers for about one hour.
Grapegrowers, winemakers, suppliers and stakeholders are all encouraged to attend the event in their region.
Both seminars will feature presentations by AWRI viticultural consultant Peter Dry on how vine balance affects yield and quality as well as new AWRI technologies and consumer preferences.
Specific topics to be covered in the Hunter Valley include wine flavour, clones and wild ferments, while the Langhorne Creek seminar will focus on irrigation strategies, disease, health, eucalyptol and bunch rot.
The Hunter Valley seminar will take place from 9am-4pm on Wednesday 18 May at Mercure Resort Hunter Valley Gardens, Chardonnay Room. Cost is $65. Registration is due Monday 9 May.
Contact Melissa Romeyn from Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association on ph. (02) 4991 4533 or at info@winehuntervalley.org.au for more information.
The Langhorne Creek seminar will take place from 9am-4pm on Wednesday 25 May at Langhorne Creek Bowling Club, Sports Oval, Murray Road, Langhorne Creek. Cost is $20. Registration is due Friday 20 May.
Contact Lian Jaensch from Langhorne Creek Grape and Wine Inc. on tel. (08) 8537 3362 or at info@langhornewine.com.au for more information.
A positive link between wine and improved cognitive function?
The AWRI continues its role in coordinating or participating in studies showing the impact of wine consumption on human health. A small pilot study is underway between the AWRI and the Brain Sciences Institute of Swinburne University.
This study is funded by the National Wine Foundation and focuses on whether wine-derived resveratrol has an effect on improving cognitive function (that is, the ability to think, remember and problem solve) and changes in brain blood flow in ageing or older Australians. Dementia is a form of cognitive dysfunction whereby an individual loses the capacity to think, remember and reason due to physical changes in the brain. Dementia is associated with increased disability and an increased need for institutionalised care, especially in an ageing population over 60 years of age. While there are other risk factors for dementia, ageing is by far the most important risk factor. Globally, the population aged 60 years of age is projected to triple by 2050, while the population aged over 80 years is projected to increased by five-fold. At present, there are few options for the treatment of dementia. Interestingly, older Australians generally drink less alcohol at any one drinking session than younger Australians, but they tend to drink alcohol every day. For further information on this study, contact Creina Stockley.
Reduced costs of export approval have been well received by many
“Its heartening to see that AWRI is aware of the hardships faced by Australian Wine Exporters and actually doing something about it.”
Joe Ceravolo – Ceravolo Wines
The AWRI Commercial Services has been working hard over the last 18 months to streamline analytical workflows to do what we can to help the Australian wine industry. Our goal has been to reduce costs and turn around times, while maintaining our strict quality assurance regimes. We are now offering substantially cheaper analyses particularly for export certification testing (less than half price for some tests). See the AWRI website for further information.
Jancis Robinson leads international wine delegation to Tasmania
Interested in hearing the latest developments on cool climate viticulture, oenology and marketing? Like to hear about a major three year research program into improving cool climate Pinot Noir and sparkling wines? Keen to catch up with industry colleagues from around the world?
If so, make sure you have the 8th International Cool Climate Symposium in your diary. Co-presented by Wine Tasmania, The Australian Wine Research Institute and Tasmania Institute of Agricultural Research, this event will be held in Hobart, 31 January to 4 February 2012. Click here for more information.
AWRI contributes to new textbook
A new three volume text book entitled Handbook of enology Principles, practices and recent innovations, has been published recently by AsiaTech Publishers. It features two chapters by AWRI staff members: Creina Stockley and Eveline Bartowsky.
Creina’s 63 page chapter outlines the potential therapeutic effects of wine in moderation and discusses the viticultural and winemaking practices that influence the alcohol and phenolic content of wine – the two key therapeutic components of wine. Eveline’s 38 page chapter focuses on malolactic fermentation.
Recent publications from AWRI staff members
Research articles and books can be requested from the John Fornachon Memorial Library at infoservices@awri.com.au or phone us on (08) 8303 6600.
Bartowsky, E. (2011) Malolactic Fermentation. In Joshi, V.K. (ed) Handbook of Enology: Principles, Practices and Recent Innovations, Volume 2: Principles and Practices: Asiatech Publishers, Inc; New Delhi : 526-563.
Bindon, K.A., Kennedy, J.A. Ripening-Induced Changes in Grape Skin Proanthocyanidins Modify Their Interaction with Cell Walls. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 59 : 2696-2707; 2011.
Capone, D.L., Jeffery, D.W. Effects of Transporting and Processing Sauvignon blanc Grapes on 3-Mercaptohexan-1-ol Precursor Concentrations. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry doi: 10.1021/jf200119z
Capone, D.L., Sefton, M.A., Jeffery, D.W. Application of a Modified Method for 3-Mercaptohexan-1-ol Determination To Investigate the Relationship between Free Thiol and Related Conjugates in Grape Juice and Wine. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry doi: 10.1021/jf200116q
Cozzolino, D., Cynkar, W., Dambergs, R., Smith, P. Two-dimensional correlation analysis of the effect of temperature on the fingerprint of wines analysed by mass spectrometry electronic nose. Sensors and Actuators B 145 : 628634; 2010.
Curtin, C.D., Bellon, J.R., Bartowsky, E.J., Henschke, P.A., Chambers, P.J., Herderich, M.J., Pretorius, I.S. Harnessing AWRI’s yeast and bacteria research to shape ‘next gen’ Chardonnary Part 1: ‘Wild’ and ‘non-conventional’ yeast. Wine & Viticulture Journal January/February : 15-20; 2011.
Evans, D.E., Goldsmith, M., Dambergs, R., Nischwitz, R. A Comprehensive Revaluation of Small-Scale Congress Mash Protocol Parameters for Determining Extract and Fermentability. Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists 69(1) : 13-27; 2011.
Marangon, M., Lucchetta, M., Waters, E.J. Protein stabilisation of white wines using zirconium dioxide enclosed in a metallic cage. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 17 : 2835; 2011.
Stockley, C. (2011) Therapeutic Value of Wine: A Clinical and Scientific Perspective. In Joshi, V.K. (ed) Handbook of Enology: Principles, Practices and Recent Innovations, Volume 1: Introduction to Vine and Wine: Asiatech Publishers, Inc; New Delhi : 146-208.
Torrea, D., Varela, C., Ugliano, M., Ancin-Azpilicueta, C., Francis, I.L., Henschke, P.A. Comparison of inorganic and organic nitrogen supplementation of grape juice Effect on volatile composition and aroma profile of a Chardonnay wine fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast. Food Chemistry 127 : 1072-1083; 2011.
Ugliano, M., Kwiatkowski, M., Vidal, S., Capone, D.L., Siebert, T., Dieval, J., Aagaard, O., Waters, E.J. Evolution of 3-Mercaptohexanol, Hydrogen Sulfide, and Methyl Mercaptan during Bottle Storage of Sauvignon blanc Wines. Effect of Glutathione, Copper, Oxygen Exposure, and Closure-Derived Oxygen. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 59 : 2564-2572; 2011.
Varela, C., Chambers, P.J., Coulter, A., Dry, P.R., Francis, I.L., Gawel, R., Muhlack, R., Henschke, P.A., Stockley, C., Herderich, M.J., Pretorius, I.S. Controlling the Highs and Lows of Alcohol in Wine. Practical Winery and Vineyard Winter : 6-18.
Vincenzi, S., Marangon, M., Tolin, S., Curioni, A. Protein evolution during the early stages of white winemaking and its relations with wine stability. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 17 : 20-27; 2011.
Disclaimer: The material contained in this publication is comment of a general nature only and is not and nor is it intended to be advice on any specific technical or professional matter. In that the effectiveness or accuracy of any technical or professional advice depends upon the particular circumstances of each case, neither the AWRI nor any individual author accepts any responsibility whatsoever for any acts or omissions resulting from reliance upon the content of any articles. Before acting on the basis of any material contained in this publication, we recommend that you consult appropriate technical/professional advisers.
Your opinion helps to improve our information delivery
For over 30 years, Australian grape and wine producers have been receiving Technical Review (TR) produced by The Australian Wine Research Institute. TR keeps producers aware of the current literature available in grape and wine production, marketing, environment and wine and health issues. It also lists, annually, all of the yeasts, bacteria and enzymes available to Australian winemakers. Youve told us in the past that you value TR, and we seek your comments now on how we can improve it how we can make it more valuable to you.
Weve constructed a short survey for you to complete. All information collected will be used exclusively for the development of Technical Review and will not be divulged to a third party.
Click on this link to be taken to the survey document. We appreciate your time and input very much.
Earlier this year, Wine Australia advised of new rules in Canada relating to the declaration of allergenic material in food, including wine.
The rules come into force 18 months from the date of publication by Health Canada, that is, on 4 August 2012.
At that time, all wine offered for sale in Canada must be compliant with the new regulations.
Nevertheless, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) has written to its suppliers with the following timetable for implementation;
From 1 May this year new labels submitted to the LCBO will not be approved unless compliant with the allergen legislation.
From 4 August this year labels already in the market that do not comply will attract a warning from LCBO.
From 4 March next year non compliant labels in the market will be corrected by LCBO at the supplier’s expense.
This timetable is unrealistic and representations are being made urging greater flexibility and a longer transition period. Nevertheless, we suggest strongly that wine exporters consider the impact of these requirements on any wine sent to the Canadian market. (The LCBO controls the Ontario market, and similar agencies operate in the various Canadian provinces).
More information can be found on the website of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (see below). This site also links to the allergens pages of Health Canada.
“The regulatory amendments enhance the labelling of prepackaged products. They do this by requiring mandatory declaration of the sources of common food allergens and gluten when they are present in a prepackaged product. They also require the declaration of added sulphites if they are present in a prepackaged product in a total amount of 10 parts per million (ppm) or more. These declarations will be required to appear on the label of the product:
in consistent and easy to understand terminology, and
either in the list of ingredients or in a statement that begins with the word “Contains”.”
For further information, contact the AWRI’s Health and Regulatory Information Manager, Creina Stockley on email: creina.stockley@awri.com.au or Tel: 08 8313 6612.
Every season has its pest and disease challenges. In years like these it is important to question what we did to manage disease and assess how well it worked.
The GWRDC and AWRI have released a detailed survey to capture what wine grape growers experienced this season and how they dealt with it. The aim is to evaluate what worked and what didnt work so that we can help growers know what to do next time we have similar conditions. The survey results will also help identify any areas where further research and development is needed.
If you are involved in winegrape production, we would appreciate you sharing your experiences of the 2010-11 growing season by filling in this survey. Surveys are to be completed by COB Friday 13th May.
The collated results of the survey will be shared with the relevant organisations and associations so that the greatest benefit can be made from the information collected.
DPI Victoria will continue its current fruit fly baiting program which at this stage is expected to run until the end of May. With regard to bait preparations containing maldison (malathion), if these are applied in accordance with label or permit instructions in vineyards, they should pose no residue threat to wine grapes in subsequent seasons.
This growing season and vintage has been marked by some challenging conditions. Wines made from grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea may contain laccase, an enzyme which, due to its relative stability in wine, is capable of causing serious oxidative damage. A fact sheet detailing information about managing botrytis infected fruit can be found here.
Managing Botrytis infected fruit fact sheet ( click here)
The main concerns regarding laccase are:
Browning and premature ageing is likely maintaining anaerobic conditions at all times is important. Where fruit has been harvested and rot is present (even at low levels), winemakers be prudent regarding residual laccase activity both before and after primary fermentation. Unlike other enzymes which occur naturally, laccase can continue to be active post-fermentation, causing browning and premature ageing. Under these conditions, the use of sulfur dioxide even at elevated levels, or intervention by normally accepted winemaking techniques, will prove ineffective. Oxidation of wine due to laccase activity will only occur in the presence of oxygen, therefore maintaining anaerobic conditions at all times during the winemaking process is of paramount importance.
Pasteurisation might be required. Careful sensory appraisal should also be made at the post-primary ferment stage to ensure that wines meet winemaking quality standards and are fit for purpose. In the event of a positive laccase result, the only advisable solution is to pasteurise at a temperature of 65C for a minimum of 40 seconds. Recheck presence of laccase activity post-pasteurisation.
Monitoring is essential. Laccase activity can be monitored either qualitatively following the method listed in the above link or by using one of several commercially available quantitative test kits. There are a number of laboratories that offer testing including the AWRI Commercial Services.
Laccase test kits. In the case of juice samples, in particular red juice, there have been observations that laccase test kits may underestimate potential laccase activity in wine. Therefore, it is essential that laccase tests are repeated when botrytis-affected fruit is fermented into wine, especially if a negative, or a low positive, result is obtained at the juice stage.
Minimise air contact post-fermentation. Once primary fermentation has completed, rack immediately off yeast lees, store in full (i.e. no ullage) tanks and exclude contact with air as much as possible. Wine should only be transferred into oak when the wine has been tested and no laccase activity is detected.
Further assistance
Should you require further assistance, please call the AWRI’s Winemaking and Extension Services team on 08 8313 6600 or contact us by email.
19 ways to take the heat out of refrigeration costs for wineries
Refrigeration in Australian wineries accounts for 50-70% of total electricity use. Cooling, critical to the production of quality wines, not only impacts on profitability, it also enlarges the carbon footprint of wine producers. With the focus on reducing environmental harms and improving profitability, the AWRI’s Commercial Services team of winery process operations experts has prepared a new handbook which helps wine producers understand and improve winery refrigeration efficiencies.
With their knowledge of the processes involved in wine production, they have identified 19 improvement opportunities presented in terms of both low-cost and high-cost solutions. This publication is vital reading for everyone in the industry who relies on cooling and refrigeration.
A reduction in financial and environmental impacts for wine producers is a key aim of the AWRI’s carbon management specialists. This handbook is freely available to download from the AWRI’s website. For further information contact Karl Forsyth, Senior Engineer on email: karl.forsyth@awri.com.au or telephone 08 8313 6600.
Assistance for grapegrowers
Can we help? Vineyards situated across the eastern states have faced an unusual amount of pressure this season and chemical shortages have combined with relentless weather events to push the balance in favour of disease, in some instances. In these circumstances, we understand that growers face the challenging task of adapting spray programs to the conditions while meeting the needs of specific markets. The AWRI viticulture team is there to help growers and have handled over 80 queries over the last 30 days, assisting mostly with fungal disease and agrochemical issues. For help with any viticultural query, contact Marcel Essling or Peter Dry on 08 8313 6600.
Cutting the confusion for consumers – the PinotG Style Spectrum label
Is your Pinot Gris or Grigio wine crisp and racy? Or would you describe it as luscious, opulent and luxurious? Maybe it’s somewhere in-between… Do you know? And do your consumers know what to expect when they buy it?
You can cut through consumer confusion about Pinot G wines by getting yours rated on the Pinot G Style Spectrum™. By placing the Spectrum graphic on your wine label you can communicate the style of your wine directly to consumers.
This service, recently launched by the AWRI, is the outcome of more than three years’ research and development in collaboration with Pinot G producers. The Style Spectrum label was trialled on a small number of wines in 2010, and is now ready to go global! We expect to see at least 800,000 bottles and casks labelled with the PinotG Style Spectrum by the end of 2011.
Process review delivers substantial savings to Commercial Service customers
In listening to our customers, we’ve spent the last 18 months reviewing our processes and operations to see where we could improve our service and deliver price cuts. We’re pleased to advise that we’ve been able to implement lean initiatives, which has allowed us to streamline our operations to reduce cost and improve turnaround times, while maintaining our high quality, reliable services. Our customers now pay less to receive a faster high quality service.
Our revised price list provides the details of the reduced prices and turnaround times on our services. The key points to note about our reduced prices are that customers no longer pay a handling fee and we no longer offer a free delivery service from the winery to the AWRI. However, for export analysis, we continue to offer a free courier service of your samples from the AWRI to the AWBC for export approval. Our ‘speedy lab’ video explains more about our commitment and fast service. By using our services, customers not only feel good about receiving great service at a great price, they know any net proceeds from Commercial Services is fed back into research which supports the Australian wine industry.
Enjoying wine in moderation can have some health benefits, explains AWRI’s Health and Regulatory Information Manager, Creina Stockley, but, she says “heavy, excessive consumption of alcohol does increase the risk of harm to your health.” The AWRI has recently prepared an Information Series on the impacts of alcohol consumption on human health to supplement their A-Z of information on wine and health issues booklet and published papers.
“The news isn’t all bad,” Creina explains “Light to moderate consumption of alcohol can confer some health benefits to your heart, to diabetes, to cognitive function, and potentially lowers your risk for certain cancers. It’s important to understand what ‘moderation’ is and what the risks are when it is exceeded.”
The Information Series, comprising 13 sheets, includes information on alcohol’s impact on the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, pancreas and cognitive function. This Information Series can be accessed via the AWRI website. Further information can be obtained by contacting Creina Stockley at the AWRI on telephone 08 8313 6600 or email: wineandhealth@awri.com.au
The next AWRI’s sensory ‘boot-camp’ to be held in June
The next Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC) will be held from 21-24 June in Adelaide. The intensive 40 hour program, over four-days, includes over 320 wines to be tasted and involves leading wine show guest judges, journalists and winemakers in simulated wine show conditions. The course program challenges and develops the ability of participants to assess wine reliability and helps to develop a common wine vocabulary.
Since 1992, The Australian Wine Research Institute has held the AWAC for wine professionals. Many participants undertake the course as a step to becoming a wine show judge. Others value the ability to benchmark their wine assessment ability (to understand where their strength and weaknesses lie) as a means to becoming a better wine assessor.
From the candle to the light bulb: database enlightens grape and wine production evolution
We know the invention of the light bulb wasn’t the result of the continuous improvement of candles. So too, could be said about the evolution of grape and wine production. From the production practices of the ancients to the modern processes of today, this massive change has involved many paradigm-shifting innovations. Yesterday’s innovations are today’s traditions, as today’s innovations will be tomorrow’s traditions. To capture this valuable information, the AWRI has developed a Wiki-style web database listing grape and wine innovations, commencing from 6,000BC. We are seeking knowledgeable individuals to contribute to this database.
The purpose of this website is to act as a repository of historical and current information relating to innovations in grape and wine production. The information on this site is accessible to everyone, and the copyright is maintained by The Australian Wine Research Institute on behalf of the Australian wine industry.
Our intention is to manage a website which provides as complete and as accurate information as possible about innovations in grape and wine production. We intend for this information to be a valuable resource for wine professionals, academics, researchers and students. To ensure complete and accurate information is available from this website, we need knowledgeable individuals to add missing information. Adding information (as ‘Wiki-style’ records) is easy, and we invite interested people to visit the site and contribute information about grape and wine innovations.
‘Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.’ — George Santayana
Award boosts haze formation understanding
AWRI Research Scientist, Matteo Marangon has been awarded the Viticulture and Oenology 2011 Science and Innovation Award for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
This award provides funding of $22,000 and will allow Matteo to spend time in Aude Vernhet’s lab in Montpellier in June and July this year to extend the knowledge on protein haze formation he already developed in Montpellier through his last external grant from the French and Australian Science and Technology Travel Award.
The award will also fund rental costs for a qNano System. This instrument utilises scanning ion occlusion spectroscopy to detect nanoparticles, such as proteins, tannins and polysaccharides, and allows us to collect data we were not previously able to obtain.
We will use the data from this instrument and from other instruments in Aude Vernhet’s lab to understand how and why grape proteins unfold and aggregate together to form haze in wines and what the role of other wine components is in this process. A deeper understanding of haze formation puts us in a better position to develop novel ways to deal with this problem.
Greasing the ‘cogs’ of innovation
As a means of encouraging the staff at the AWRI to think more innovatively and ‘outside the square’, we established the AWRI Innovation Award. From a field of 13 applications and five finalists, the inaugural AWRI Innovation Award was won by Dr Anthony Borneman.
Anthony accessed state-of-the art genome sequencing technology to define the genetic basis of what makes wine yeasts unique. The work was published and accepted for publication in the high-ranking (IF ~10) journal PloS Genetics. Anthony’s work and publication has made headlines and created blogging opportunities on a number of national and international websites, and has boosted our understanding of yeast.
Anthony was presented the Award by the Chairman of the AWRI Board, Mr Peter Dawson. Peter was part of an external selection committee and stated “All of the nominees were considered to be of merit in the context of the criteria, however, Anthony Borneman received unanimous support as the winner.”
Free online information resources and recent AWRI publications
Our library staff have discovered two free online information resources: one which provides downloadable textbooks and the other provides a database of chemical structures.
Chemspider – Chemspider is an online database of chemical structures which is provided free by the Royal Society of Chemistry. You can search chemical compounds using systemic names, synonyms, trade names, registry numbers, etc. The results retrieved include the chemical structure of the compound and its properties, patents, research articles and chemical suppliers.
BookBoon – BookBoon offers free downloadable textbooks. The IT series includes manuals on Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Power Point which will enable you to brush up on your Microsoft skills. The pdfs of these books can be accessed via the following URL http://bookboon.com/au/textbooks/it
If you would need more comprehensive information, the wide range of IT manuals held by the John Fornachon Memorial Library are available for borrowing by grapegrower and winemaker levy payers.
Research articles and books can be requested from the John Fornachon Memorial Library at infoservices@awri.com.au or phone us on (08) 8313 6600.
Recent publications by AWRI researchers
Capone, D.L., Van Leeuwen, K., Taylor, D.K., Jeffery, D.W., Pardon, K.H., Elsey, G.M., Sefton, M.A. Evolution and occurrence of 1,8-Cineole (Eucalyptol) in Australian wine. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 59 (3) : 953-959; 2011.
De Bei, R., Cozzolino, D., Sullivan, W., Cynkar, W., Fuentes, S., Dambergs, R., Pech, J., Tyerman, S. Non-destructive measurement of grapevine water potential using near infrared spectroscopy. Australian journal of grape and wine research doi: 10.1111/j.1755-0238.2010.00117.x :10 p.; 2010.
Dungey, K.A., Hayasaka, Y., Wilkinson, K.L. Quantitative analysis of glycoconjugate precursors of guaiacol in smoke-affected grapes using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based stable isotope dilution analysis. Food chemistry 126 (2) : 801-806; 2011.
Giaccio, J., Capone, D.L., Hakansson, A.E., Smyth, H.E., Elsey, G.M., Sefton, M.A., Taylor, D.K. The formation of wine lactone from grape-derived secondary metabolites. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 59 (2) : 660-664; 2011.
Hayasaka, Y., Baldock, G.A., Parker, M., Pardon, K.H., Black, C.A., Herderich, M.J., Jeffery, D.W. Glycosylation of smoke-derived volatile phenols in grapes as a consequence of grapevine exposure to bushfire smoke. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 58 (20) : 10989-10998; 2010.
Kneknopoulos, P., Skourourmounis, G.K., Hayasaka, Y., Taylor, D.K. New Phenolic Grape Skin Products from Vitis vinifera cv. Pinot Noir. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 59 (3) : 1005-1011; 2011.
Liccioli, T., Tran, T.M.T., Cozzolino, C., Jiranek, V., Chambers, P.J., Schmidt, S.A. Microvinificationhow small can we go? Applied microbiology and biotechnology 89 (5) : 1621-1628; 2011.
Liccioli, T., Chambers, P.J., Jiranek, V. A novel methodology independent of fermentation rate for assessment of the fructophilic character of wine yeast strains. Industrial microbiology & biotechnology 10.1007/s10295-010-0854-y : 11 p.; 2010.
Marangon, M., Van Sluyter, S.C., Neilson, K.A., Chan, C., Haynes, P.A., Waters, E.J., Falconer, R.J. Roles of grape Thaumatin-like protein haze and chitinase in white wine haze formation. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 59 (2) : 733-740; 2011.
Nygaard, M., Osidacz, P., Roget, W., Francis, L., Vidal, S., Aagaard, O. The effect of closure choice on consumer rating of wines : AWRI study series. Australian & New Zealand grapegrower & winemaker (563) : 55-56, 58-60; 2010.
Osidacz, P.C., Robichaud, J.A., Francis, I.L. Gan bei! Wine drinking habits in China. Australian & New Zealand grapegrower & winemaker (565) : 49-52; 2011.
Roget, W., Nordestgaard, S., Forsyth, K. Come in from the cold. Australian & New Zealand grapegrower & winemaker (563) : 61-62, 64; 2011.
Stanley, D., Chambers, P.J., Stanley, G.A., Borneman, A., Fraser, S. Transcriptional changes associated with ethanol tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Applied microbiology and biotechnology 88 (1) : 231-239; 2010.
Disclaimer: The material contained in this publication is comment of a general nature only and is not and nor is it intended to be advice on any specific technical or professional matter. In that the effectiveness or accuracy of any technical or professional advice depends upon the particular circumstances of each case, neither the AWRI nor any individual author accepts any responsibility whatsoever for any acts or omissions resulting from reliance upon the content of any articles. Before acting on the basis of any material contained in this publication, we recommend that you consult appropriate technical/professional advisers.
