Downy mildew pressure is extreme in many regions this season. The high demand for some chemicals has resulted in supply shortfalls. Chemical applicators are reminded of their responsibilty to ONLY apply agrochemical products that are currently registered by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) for use on grapes or that have a current off-label permit. An expired permit does not constitute permission to use a product. Please contact the APVMA, AWRI or your grape purchaser if in any doubt.
The APVMA has issued an off-label permit enabling the use of certain metalaxyl formulations in viticulture. It is essential that you read the conditions attached to the permit prior to use (View the full PDF).
PERMIT TO ALLOW EMERGENCY USE OF A REGISTERED AGVET CHEMICAL PRODUCT
FOR THE CONTROL OF DOWNY MILDEW IN GRAPEVINES
PERMIT NUMBER -PER12588
CONDITIONS OF USE
Products to be used:
COUNTRY METALAXYL 250 EC SYSTEMIC FUNGICIDE PLUS OTHER REGISTERED PRODUCTS Containing: 250 g/L METALAXYL as their only active constituent.
RIDOMIL GOLD 480 EC SYSTEMIC FUNGICIDE PLUS OTHER REGISTERED PRODUCTS Containing: 480 g/L METALAXYL-M as their only active constituent.
Directions for Use:
Crop
Disease
Rate
Grapevines
Downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola)
250g/L Metalaxyl products: 90mL/100L
480 g/L Metalaxyl-M products: 23mL/100L
Critical Use Comments:
Use in a protectant program. Limit the use of Group 4 (Group D) fungicides to periods when conditions favour disease development.
Spray at 7 to 21 day intervals using a protectant or non-phenylamide fungicide, not Group 4 (Group D). Use the shorter interval under prolonged humid and wet conditions.
When conditions favour downy mildew development (prolonged humid and wet conditions) apply 2 consecutive sprays of Group 4 (Group D) fungicides at the shorter interval.
Apply before the first sign of oil spots or as soon as possible after the infection period.
DO NOT apply more than 2 consecutive sprays of a Group 4 (Group D) product. Resume the program of protectant sprays.
Apply a maximum of 4 Group 4 (Group D) sprays per season.
DO NOT apply to grapevines in flower in QLD. Minor phytotoxic reactions of some varieties of grapes may occur under certain conditions.
Metalaxyl and metalaxyl-M are curative fungicides and should be tank mixed with a registered downy mildew protectant fungicide.
Use in acordance with CropLife anti-resistance strategy.
DO NOT apply more than a combined total of 4 metalaxyl or metalaxyl-M sprays per season.
Withholding Period:
Harvest: DO NOT harvest for 7 days after last application.
Today’s grapegrowers face many challenges. The speed at which new fads, trends and markets emerge is mind-blowing. The global surplus of grapes is well-known. The change in our climate will force growers to consider changing practices and inputs. Perhaps these factors combined are indicators to consider whether fulfilling a niche market with an alternative variety might be a viable option for continued sustainability.
If we want to stay in the grapegrowing business, then we need to think about which varieties might be best suited to our future climate. The AWRI’s Research to Practice (RtP) program has just launched a new ‘Alternative Varieties’ RtP to help with these questions.
Program coordinator, Dr Peter Dry, explained the program. “This full day program covers 40 different emerging varieties with different climatic tolerance to Australia’s ‘traditional’ varieties,” he said. “The program looks at climate change and its impact on viticulture. We profile emerging varieties and their heat/drought tolerances, and we give participants access to sources of further information.” The content of the program is available exclusively to RtP participants.
Former University lecturer and Southcorp viticulturist, Libby Tassie, is the primary presenter of the course. Libby brings years of local and international experience to RtP. With qualifications in viticulture and winemaking from Turin Italy and personal experience in the importation of Italian varieties, Libby has a genuine and passionate interest in the subject of Alternative Varieties.
The first RtP Alternative Varieties program was held in Griffith on 16 November. Each RtP program is tailored for each region’s specifications, so participants receive maximum value relevant to their circumstances. Interested parties, who are primary producers, can apply to have the fee for the course reimbursed through the Australian government Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry’s Farm Ready Scheme (http://www.farmready.gov.au). Regional associations who wish to run the RtP program in their area should contact the AWRI’s Marcel Essling on email: marcel.essling@awri.com.au or by telephone: 08 8313 6600.
AWRI’s Marcel Essling (L) and Peter Dry (R) with Max Allen and Libby Tassie at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show in Mildura
The Australian Wine Research Institute and the Royal Adelaide Wine Show announced today that Peter Kelly, Winemaker at Peter Lehmann Wines, was awarded Dux of the 2010 Advanced Wine Assessment Course.
The AWRI’s Advanced Wine Assessment Course, held at Magill Estate Winery in Adelaide, 28 September-1 October, put 30 participants through a gruelling four day tasting boot-camp. Participants evaluated a diverse range of more than 316 wines under simulated wine show conditions. Lectures were presented by staff from the AWRI, and contributions were also provided from 14 leading wine show judges, journalists and winemakers.
“Peter’s reliability score in wine assessment was outstanding,” said AWAC coordinator, Con Simos. “He also impressed us with his contribution during the course in the discussions of the wines.”
The Dux of the AWAC is offered a position as an Associate Judge at the next Royal Adelaide Wine Show. Brian Walsh, Chairman of Judges of the Royal Adelaide Wine Show said, “Well trained and skilled wine assessors are essential for ensuring the continued quality of Australian wine. We are delighted to accept Peter as an associate judge for the next show.”
Peter Kelly was pleased to accept the award of Dux. “The four day course was extremely challenging, but it was great to test my sensory assessment skills and reliability,” he said. “The tutored session on detecting current common winemaking taints and faults highlighted our personal areas of strengths and weaknesses and gave me a greater appreciation that I can take back to the winery.”
The delivery of the elite AWRI Advanced Wine Assessment Course continues to be an important career development opportunity for those who wish to strengthen their knowledge in wine show judging and improve or benchmark their sensory skills. Over 840 participants have completed the program since 1992. Enquiries about the course can be made to Virginia Phillips (e: Virginia.phillips@awri.com.au).
New flavour/aroma screening method gives greater options
Want to check the flavour/aroma impact of a range of new winemaking techniques or the use of new yeasts, but thought it would take too long or be too expensive? Think again.
Following many requests from customers, and expressions of interest from researchers, the AWRI-Metabolomics Australia (AWRI-MA) has created a rapid, inexpensive screening technique for wine volatiles. This method gives greater options to winemakers and researchers to screen a much larger number of different winemaking treatments that was not previously possible with existing quantitative techniques (due to cost and time involved). Screening can be undertaken prior to more comprehensive analysis being undertaken on a smaller subset of selected samples. The method uses a novel rapid GC/MS (gas chromatography / mass spectrometry) ‘fingerprinting’ for the analysis of wine volatiles. It combines unique instrument parameters with sophisticated statistical analysis. In combination with established targeted quantitative methods, the AWRI-MA is now able to provide researchers and commercial clients in the wine and yeast industries with access to a variety of cutting edge metabolite analysis. Want to know more? Contact Meagan Mercurio or telephone on 08 8313 6600.
WIC Winemaking Services is perfect outsource solution
Celebrating its first year of providing small- and pilot-scale winemaking to the Australia wine industry, WIC Winemaking Services gears up for another busy year ahead.
WIC Winemaking Services commenced in January 2010 and is a joint venture between The Australian Wine Research Institute and the University of Adelaide. The Service has been set up to provide consistent small- and pilot-scale quality wines for research and commercial projects.
Managed by qualified winemaker, Gemma West, the Service offers an opportunity to outsource R&D projects for viticulture, winemaking or processing treatments. A small amount of contract winemaking of less than one tonne is also offered.
Based at the Hickinbotham-Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory (also known as Wine Innovation Cluster East [WIC East]) on the Waite Campus, the Service shares the University’s purpose-built small- and pilot-scale winemaking facility.
Gemma can be contacted on (08) 8313 6600 or via email.
The 29th Advanced Wine Assessment Course was all a’twitter
Another 30 wine industry professionals just completed the four day wine tasting boot-camp – aka the AWRI’s AWAC.
The AWRI’s 29th Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC) was held within the rich history of Penfold’s Magill Estate. It was the perfect venue to hold this highly sought-after wine tasting boot camp. Led by Con Simos, another 30 participants stayed the distance – tasting their way through over 320 wines over four days (from 28 September to 1 October). For the first time, the organisers kept followers informed of the highlights from each day through Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/The_AWRI).
Part of the AWAC gives participants the opportunity to undertake a ‘taste-off’ of selected trophy-winning wines. From the 29th AWAC, the winner of the AWAC trophy taste-off went to the 2002 Peter Lehmann Barossa Reserve Riesling. The Dux of the course (yet to be announced) will have the chance to participate as an associate judge at next year’s Royal Adelaide Wine Show.
For more information about future courses contact Virginia Phillips or by telephone on (08) 8313 6600. You can also follow us on Twitter The_AWRI
AWRI recognised as engine room of innovation
The Australian Wine Research Institute was shortlisted for the NAB Agribusiness awards in recognition of its role as a leader in technology and innovation.
The AWRI was a finalist in NAB’s annual agribusiness awards, selected for its contribution to the Australian wine industry through its yeast discovery program. Through non-GM techniques, the AWRI has discovered novel wine yeasts that can improve the flavour and aroma characters of wine. These wine yeast are available through commercial yeast companies. The NAB Agribusiness Awards acknowledge a company’s contribution to agriculture in Australia in ten categories. The AWRI was one of five finalists in the innovation and technology category.
We congratulate Taylors Wines for winning the NAB Agribuiness Environment and Energy Management Award (sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry) on 28 October. Taylors Wines has become a leader in environmental innovation by taking a holistic approach to saving energy, expenditure and the environment in its wine production. This includes the launch of the world’s first carbon neutral wine range based on a full ISO14044 compliant lifecycle assessment undertaken by Karl Forsyth (AWRI’s Senior Engineer).
True Australian flavour wins award for AWRI’s Dimitra Capone
AWRI Senior Scientist, Dimi Capone, won The Max Tate Award for the best postgraduate student presentation at the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine Postgraduate Symposium.
Held on 21-22 September 2010, The University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine’s Postgraduate Symposium recognised a number of postgraduate students for their ground-breaking research. The Max Tate Award, for the best presentation at the two-day symposium, was given to Dimitra Capone by Professor Max Tate himself. Dimitra was recognised for her work at the AWRI investigating the origin of eucalyptol in Australian wines.
AWRI supports wine quality through sponsorship
The AWRI’s Commercial Service was pleased to sponsor the Best Riesling in Show trophy at the recently-held Royal Adelaide Wine Show.
Along with the trophy sponsorship, the AWRI also sponsors (through the Advanced Wine Assessment Course) two associate wine judges who have undertaken an AWAC in the past. The AWRI’s Group Manager – Commercial Services, Dr Vince O’Brien, was at the announcement of the awards, to hand the trophy for Best Riesling in Show to Andrew Wigan, for the Peter Lehmann Wines Wigan Eden Valey Riesling (2006).
Pictured: Dr Vince O’Brien and Andrew Wigan (Peter Lehmann Wines)
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.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the rainfall outlook for the December quarter (October to December) favours wetter than average conditions over large parts of the continent. Visit http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/rain_ahead.shtml for more information and be prepared for greater disease pressure than we have experienced in recent years.
Monitor for emergence of hoppers and be aware that newly emerged insects are no threat to crops.
Do not attempt chemical control until hoppers are 6 mm to 10 mm in size and have formed dense bands.
It is NOT necessary to spray entire vineyards, only spray where and when hoppers have banded together and use undervine or inter-row boom sprays.
When applying approved insecticide directly onto locusts and adjacent ground cover, drive slowly, keep the boom low and use nozzles that deliver at least a Medium droplet spectrum. Avoid the use of extended range flat fan nozzles. DO NOT SPRAY VINES DIRECTLY.
Continue to monitor hopper activity. Hopper bands may move from neighbouring areas and additional sprays may be required. When respraying, follow label respray intervals.
If you must control hoppers in your vineyard after E-L 25, 80% caps off, contact your winery or grape purchaser to discuss control options.
Only apply chemicals that are registered for use in vines or have permit for the pest. It is important that chemical applicators ensure that products are approved for their crop/situation and if operating off-label under a permit that they obtain a copy and follow all the conditions of those permits.
Spray records need to be kept even if spray is applied to the ground, headland, vineyard roads or tracks.
The chemicals used for APL control are very toxic to humans (except metharizium) and full personal protective equipment (PPE) as per label directions should be worn during the spraying operations.
New targets
PARAFFINIC OIL
APVMA 54179
BioPest has been granted registration by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) for control of Powdery Mildew in grapevines. BioPest is a Sacoa product. It contains the active constituent paraffinic oil.
Restriction on use for export grapes: Use no later than 80% capfall (E-L growth stage 25).
New product
SULFUR
APVMA 58337
Dusting Sulphur 900 has been granted registration for use against Powdery Mildew in grapevines by the APVMA. This Redox Pty Ltd product is a Group M2 fungicide with elemental or crystalline sulfur as active constituent.
Restriction on use for export grapes: Use no later than 30 days before harvest.
Correction to the AWRI’s ‘Dog Book’ Agrochemicals Registered for Use in Australian Viticulture 2010/2011
Page 10 and 16: The product Delfin is listed as containing the active constituent ‘Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies aizawai‘. The subspecies is kurstaki.
Note
‘Sunscreen’ products do not require APVMA registration.
Particle film technology (PFT) includes products based on processed and refined kaolin (Surround®, Screen®) or calcium carbonate crystals (Parasol) and are marketed as an option for heat stress management.
These products are not required to be registered by the APVMA because PFT does not fit the definition of an ‘agricultural chemical product’. They can be used on grapevines despite the fact that grapevines do not appear on the label however, given the nature of the product, residues might be present at harvest, especially in the case of late season applications. It is advised that you contact your winery or grape purchaser prior to application of these products.
This information is provided to inform the Australian grape and wine sector of agrochemical information, and should not be interpreted as an endorsement
In seeking better ways to communicate with you about our Advanced Wine Assessment Course, we’ve launched a new Twitter account.
We expect that people who have undertaken the course in the past or people who are interested in doing the course in the future, will find some value in communicating with us via Twitter. We hope you find this an easy way to keep in touch with what’s on offer from the AWAC – including potentially new refresher courses – but also for you to have an input in the development of the AWAC.
We look forward to connecting with you, follow us on Twitter @The_AWRI.
In conjunction with industry partners, the AWRI has officially launched the PinotG Style Spectrum – a simple labeling device allowing consumers to identify the styles of Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris wines at a glance, before they purchase or open the bottle.
The ‘Spectrum’ represents cutting-edge science which is believed to be a world-first in being able to ‘fingerprint’ wine style, and then graphically represent that style on a wine label.
The launch has generated a great deal of press attention to date, with articles appearing in the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age, Weekend Age, the Weekend Australian magazine, and the Australian Financial Review, with many web-based articles also appearing in a total of six different countries.
Why PinotG? The Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris variety has been known in Europe since the Middle Ages, chiefly in the Alsace region of northeastern France and in northern Italy. Traditionally, the style of wines produced in northern Italy and labeled Pinot Grigio have been crisp and zesty, while Alsatian wines, labeled Pinot Gris, have been luscious and rich in texture. However, in Australia, a wide range of wine styles are being produced, which has caused confusion. Some wines are crisp and zesty, others are luscious and rich in texture, and some show every conceivable combination of these characteristics. Consequently the name of the variety used on the label is difficult to relate to the wine style in the bottle.
Our tasting panels, which included many Australian winemakers, agreed that some wines were crisp and zesty, while others were luscious and rich, and others showed combinations of those attributes to varying degrees; in fact a ‘spectrum’ of styles was identified.
We then sought to define objectively what caused those differences in the wines, using spectral analysis, and found differences in things such as the flavor molecules, phenolic compounds, and grape-derived acids in the wines; the various concentrations of which could be thought of as a wine’s ‘fingerprint.’ That spectral ‘fingerprint’ looks at everything in the wine, and is a different concept than looking at and thinking about just a few compositional parameters to explain sensory differences between wines.
The broad range of Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio wines which were tasted were put through spectral analysis and advanced statistical techniques were used to find correlations between the spectra obtained and the tasters’ ratings of the crispness to lusciousness of each of the wines. That information was used to build a spectral calibration, so that it is now possible to predict accurately the rating of a trained sensory panel for a wines’ crispness to lusciousness using a scan, thereby positioning the wine on the PinotG Style Spectrum.
Wine producers who would like to investigate using the PinotG Style Spectrum on their labels should contact Peter Godden (Peter.Godden@awri.com.au). More information is available at http://www.PinotG.com.au
It’s filtration time prevent those uninvited guests
In September many wineries are filtering their wines ready for bottling. It is essential the correct grade of filtration is used to avoid unwanted guests. Click here to read the article.
A forum to support wineries with technology uptake
Want to improve your winemaking processes to improve your bottom line, but not sure where to start? What processes can be improved and how can you get more from your supplier? Join our forum.
Successful implementation of technology in the winemaking process has been critical for the Australian wine industry. Technology has provided the tools for Australian winemakers not only to craft high quality wines reliably and reproducibly, but also to do it in an economical manner with minimal environmental impact. However, significant opportunities still exist for the Australian wine industry to make the most of advanced manufacturing approaches that are commonplace in highly engineered industry sectors, such as the automotive and mining industries. Australia’s ongoing success in the wine sector will depend on our ability to harness technology as part of our value proposition in the market place.
The AWRI Commercial Services have established a Winery Operations Improvement Forum to explore opportunities for advancement of the wine industry through adoption of new technologies as follows:
Understanding barriers to uptake of technology.
Identification of common applications between wineries that technology provides a strong value proposition.
Review and evaluate the critical process performance criterion and the technologies needed.
Establish a forum in which wineries can generate pull technologies from technology suppliers in a cost effective manner.
Our first Winery Operations Improvement Forum meeting was held on 13 July. Eighteen winery operations personnel attended across ten South Australian wineries. One of the key outcomes from the meeting was to establish themes of interest across the wineries for operations technology. The applications of common interest included:
Alternative cold stabilisation techniques.
Ullage management technologies.
Alternative maturation technologies.
Refrigeration technologies.
These areas will be established as themes for a series of quarterly forums; the first starting on 29 September focusing on Cold Stabilisation Technologies and Methods. The forum will aim to establish the following:
The utility and performance criterion requirements.
Available technology options and their relative merits.
Opportunities to build bridging technologies or new capabilities to meet operations needs.
Genuine carbon neutral wine recognised for sustainability
Confirming their wine is 100% carbon neutral through an extensive greenhouse gas life-cycle analysis by Karl Forsyth from The Australian Wine Research Institute has paid off for Taylors Wines.
Taylors Wines has been announced as a finalist in the 2010 Australian Packaging Awards* in the category for the Carter Holt Harvey Sustainability Award. This is on the back of winning Best Green Launch at the 2010 Green Awards in London, run by Europe’s leading drinks publication, Drinks Business.
Taylors most recent recognition is for their Eighty Acres 100% Carbon Neutral range of wine products. “The life-cycle assessment considered every step of the supply chain associated with the 80 Acres product, from spray applications in the vineyard, the winemaking process to the consumer’s car journey,” says Forsyth. This detailed life-cycle assessment was then independently reviewed to ensure the work met the requirements of an international standard. The life-cycle assessment work is believed to be the most detailed and robust ever completed on a range of wine products.
The life-cycle assessment also considered the impact of packaging, which led Taylors to move towards a lighter packaging format, substantially reducing their overall emissions.
*The Australian Packaging Awards – organised by the Packaging Council of Australia (PCA) – are a national competition which recognises and rewards packaging design excellence across a diverse range of categories from FMCG to medical to wine and alcoholic beverages to fashion and cosmetics to industrial and agricultural goods.
Key messages from the AWITC inspire delegates
The Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference is over for another three years and most delegates came away inspired. Industry members from Australia and from more than 13 overseas countries had a feast on offer with workshops starting on the Saturday (2 July 2010); conference sessions, workshops, trade show and posters throughout the next few days; and concluding with workshops again on the Thursday. Click here to read the article.
AWRI poster wins top prize
With more than 200 posters on display, AWRI scientist, Dr Maurizio Ugliano, was delighted that his poster received ‘Best Poster Prize’ at the 14th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference, held in Adelaide, South Australia 3-8 July 2010.
The technical poster display at the 14AWITC enables delegates to learn about a wide range of existing, new and emerging science and innovation being developed for the wine industry. Several posters were recognised for their quality, and prizes were awarded and announced during the conference sessions. Sponsored by the Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker, the Best Poster prize was awarded to Dr Maurizio Ugliano for his poster The role of copper and glutathione addition and oxygen exposure in the evolution of key aroma compounds of Sauvignon Blanc.
Grapegrower & Winemaker‘s Elizabeth Bouzoudis (L) and AWITC Poster Coordinate, Dr Eveline Bartowsky (R) congratulate ‘Best Poster’ winner Dr Maurizio Ugliano.
Botrytis bunch rot a winner for some
Katie Dunne, PhD Candidate of the University of Tasmania, was announced the winner of the Wine Innovation Cluster Best Student Poster Prize at the 14th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference, held in Adelaide, South Australia 3 8 July 2010.
Ms Dunne’s poster presented the results of her research into botrytis bunch rot a disease affecting grapes particularly in cool climate wine regions causing losses in grape yield and wine quality. An experiment examining the spread of the disease indicated that there was little secondary spread of the botrytis infection from the initial location of the disease within a bunch of grapes to other grape bunches.
Supervised by Dr Katherine Evans of the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research at the University of Tasmania, and in collaboration with Dr Rob Bramely of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Ms Dunne plans to continue this research, examining the secondary spread of botrytis bunch rot in other vineyards.
Ms Dunne was awarded $1000 for her poster and thanked the Wine Innovation Cluster for its support of students presenting posters during the conference, saying “Winning the prize topped off what was a great week for me as there were lots of other great student posters”. The prize was presented to Ms Dunne by Dr Stuart McNab, Chair of the Wine Innovation Cluster and Director-Wine Production Australian and New Zealand of Fosters Group.
The Wine Innovation Cluster is a synergy of four leading grape and wine research agencies; The Australian Wine Research Institute, CSIRO Plant Industry, SARDI and the University of Adelaide, working in collaboration to deliver outcomes for the Australian wine industry.
Ms Katie Dunne, PhD Candidate and winner of the Wine Innovation Cluster Best Student Poster Prize and Dr Stuart McNab, Chair of the Wine Innovation Cluster.
Alex’s comments on AWRI website wins a netbook
Alex Miller, Viticulture Technical Officer from Voyager Estate, took time to give us feedback on the AWRI website at the recent WineTech 2010 and won a netbook!
Alex was one of many WineTech visitors who came to our stand and completed our questionnaire. The feedback we have received will guide our future development of the website, and we thank everyone who contributed. We hosted many visitors on our stand and enjoyed the discussions over the three days about the topics that are important to you. We’ve taken your valuable input back to the AWRI and this will be integrated into our future activities. If you have any suggestions on improvements you’d like to see on the AWRI website, send them along to us on infoservices@awri.com.au
Australian wine book picks up international ‘best book’ award
Australian wine book, ‘A Taste of the World of Wine’, was announced as receiving the OIV’s award for the best book in the category ‘Discovering and presenting wines’
Every year since 1930, the OIV rewards the best works published over the previous two years which provide an original and relevant scientific contribution, with an international significance for the vine and wine sector.
These works are evaluated by a panel of specialists (university professors, journalists, scientists, historians) under the presidency of the diplomat, poet and author, His Excellency FrantiŠek Lipka, currently Ambassador of Slovakia to Montenegro.
Published by Patrick Iland Wine Promotions, ‘A Taste of the World of Wine’ was co-authored by Patrick Iland, Peter Gago, Andrew Caillard and AWRI’s Viticulture Consultant, Peter Dry
Recent AWRI publications order now
Recent publications by AWRI staff can be requested from the John Fornachon Memorial Library. To get your copies, contact Anne, Ingrid and Sean at infoservices@awri.com.au
Bellon, J. Generating interspecific wine yeast hybrids for funky wines. Microbiology Australia (May) : 86-88 ; 2010.
Francis, L. Riesling in Australia. In : Helm, K., Burgess, T. (eds.) Riesling in Australia : the history, the regions, the legends, and the producers. Winetitles Pty Ltd. pp. 40-43 ; 2010.
Godden, P., Muhlack, R. Trends in the composition of Australian wine, 1984 2008. Australian & New Zealand grapegrower & winemaker (558) : 47-61 ; 2010.
King, E., Curtin, C., Francis, L., Swiegers, H., Pretorius, S., Bastian, S. Are yeast-derived flavour differences in young Sauvignon Blanc wines retained after a period of bottle age? Australian & New Zealand grapegrower & winemaker (557a) : 60-68 ; 2010.
Mueller, S., Osidacz, P., Francis, I.L., Lockshin, L. Combining discrete choice and informed sensory testing in a two-stage process : Can it predict wine market share? Food quality and preference doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2010.06.008 : 14 p. ; 2010.
Pretorius, S. Investing for gold medal results. Australian & New Zealand grapegrower & winemaker (557a) : p. 5 ; 2010.
Pretorius, S. Beyond collaboration. WBM (July) : 38-40 ; 2010.
Shah, N., Cynkar, W., Smith, P., Cozzolino, D. Rapid and real-time analysis of compositional parameters in commercial white grape juice. Australian & New Zealand grapegrower & winemaker (557a) : 74-76 ; 2010.
Smith, P., Dambergs, B., Mercurio, M., Robinson, E. The world is waking up to tannin values. Australian & New Zealand grapegrower & winemaker (558) : 62-64 ; 2010.
Waiter, is there histamine in my wine? Histamine in Australian wines a survey over 27 years (1982 to 2009) Australian & New Zealand grapegrower & winemaker (557a) : 69-72 ; 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.
Be part of a new international closure benchmarking trial, run by the AWRI, testing the impact of closure technologies on a premium red wine. Make sure you dont miss out on the early bird rates by confirming your commitment by 27 August.
These innovative and collaborative trials are set to provide the definitive performance data that will help wineries to understand how closure performance can be managed to tailor the quality and style of wine products. Many wineries understand the significant impact closures can have on their wine quality and consequently invest significant resources in wine, labour and bottling line time for in house testing of closure trials. The AWRI now offers wineries the option of participating in our market survey-style red wine closure trial and obtaining strictly independent, technically robust and credible results for 10 popular closure technologies.
This major red wine closure trial will also provide participants with a cost-effective way of obtaining valuable insight into how closure oxygen transmission rate (OTR) drives chemical and sensory development and influences the consumer preferences for a premium Shiraz varietal.
This eBulletin provides an industry-endorsed recommendation for locust control. The information replaces that contained in the 29 July 2010 eBulletin.
Significant locust plagues have been predicted for south-eastern Australia over the coming spring and summer. The Australian Wine industry endorses the following strategy to mitigate the impact of Australian Plague Locust (APL) on grape and other crops. The strategy was developed in consultation with Department of Primary Industry (DPI) groups from South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. The aim is to control the ‘hopper’ stage and prevent swarming of the adult stage.
To minimise the risk of agrochemical residues in export wines, it is extremely important that no insecticide is sprayed on foliage or grapes. Follow the instructions below and contact your winery or grape purchaser to discuss control options after E-L 25, 80% caps off.
Your obligations
Throughout Australia, primary control of locusts is the responsibility of the landholder (Australian Plague Locust Commission). Failure to notify your DPI of the presence of locust hoppers or failure to treat locust hoppers may be in breach of legislation.
Locust control strategy
Growers are required to meet all label/permit requirements and follow the protocol outlined below. The following ground applied control strategy is targeted at the ‘hopper’ growth stage.
Monitor for emergence of hoppers from mid September, particularly where adults were observed laying eggs the previous season. Note that roadsides, tracks and areas of hard ground, as well midrows between vines need to be monitored.
It is in their nature that hoppers will stay close to the ground and will seek out open bare ground to warm themselves. If numbers are high enough, they will mass together before moving as a dense band onto surrounding ground vegetation. At this stage they cannot fly.
The best time to control APL is when these bands are formed. Apply pesticide (see table) directly onto hoppers and adjacent ground cover they are likely to move through when they have congregated together. This will occur when the hoppers are at a specific developmental stage (3rd instar) i.e. around 6 mm – 10 mm in size.
It is NOT necessary to spray entire vineyards, only spray where and when hoppers have banded together.
Use undervine or inter-row boom sprays. DO NOT USE air assisted or mister spray units when applying conventional insecticides (i.e. other than metarhizium).
When applying insecticide directly onto locusts and adjacent ground cover, drive slowly, keep the boom low and use nozzles that deliver at least a Medium droplet spectrum. Avoid the use of extended range flat fan nozzles. DO NOT SPRAY VINES DIRECTLY.
Continue to monitor hopper activity. Hopper bands may move in from neighbouring areas and additional sprays may be required. When respraying, follow label respray intervals.
If you must control hoppers in your vineyard after E-L 25, 80% caps off, contact your winery or grape purchaser to discuss control options.
Only apply chemicals that are registered for use in vines or have permit for the pest. It is important that chemical applicators ensure that products are approved for their crop/situation and if operating off-label under a permit that they obtain a copy and follow all the conditions of those permits.
Spray records need to be kept even if spray is applied to the ground, headland, vineyard roads or tracks.
The chemicals used for APL control are very toxic to humans (except metharizium) and full personal protective equipment (PPE) as per label directions should be worn during the spraying operations.
Note: In some States APL hopper control is mandatory and chemical rebates may be available. Conditions apply. Contact your local DPI for further details.
Adult locust
The above advice does not pertain to adult locust swarms.
Adult locust swarms are unpredictable and will not be attracted to vineyard foliage in the first instance. For this reason as well as the issues around residues in wine, disruption to IPM programs and worker safety, no preventative strategy has been developed for the control of adult locusts in vineyards. If you suspect you will be under pressure from locust swarms, contact your winery or grape purchaser for advice.
NOTE: Irrigated vineyards that are isolated in an otherwise arid environment are likely to be susceptible when locust swarms are near. It is recommended that you contact your winery or grape purchaser for advice if you are in this situation.
Notes on active constituents
It is important that chemical applicators ensure that products are approved for their crop/situation and if operating off-label under a permit that they obtain a copy of the permit and follow all the conditions.
While the active constituents listed in the table below will control APL hoppers, they are not all the same. Consult your winery or grape purchaser for preferred chemicals. Some may not be available due to high demand this season.
Metarhizium anisopliae is not a ‘knockdown’ insecticide and will take at least 8 days to take effect.
Options for ‘hopper’ control of APL
The following table lists the registered chemicals and current off-label permits issued for grapevines for the control of APL. It is essential that you read the conditions attached to the permit prior to use. The withholding period (WHP) advice is for control of the APL hopper stage.
Tas
NSW
Qld
SA
WA
VIC
WHP
fenitrothion
Registered
Use up to 80% capfall. Contact your winery or grape purchaser prior to further use.
* South Australian legislation allows use of a product where the use pattern is registered in another state. For further information contact PIRSA (08) 8226 0222.
** Victoria is not included under the various permits because their ‘control-of-use’ legislation means that a permit is not required to legalise off-label use in Victoria. It is recommended that you seek further advice from the Chemical Standards Branch of Victorian DPI by calling (03) 9217 4177 or emailing chemicalstandards@dpi.vic.gov.au.
Useful links
State specific information is available and it is advised that growers become familiar with the relevant website:
For further information: contact Marcel Essling, Viticulturist on email agrochemicals@awri.com.au or by telephone 08 8313 6600.
This information is provided to inform the Australian grape and wine sector of agrochemical information, and should not be interpreted as an endorsement
