The Australian Wine Research Institute

Beyond ideas: our year in review

It is with pleasure that we present to our stakeholders our annual report for 2010. The complete annual report is now available for viewing online via our website. Below are just some highlights from our very rewarding year of activity, and we encourage you to read the full report in detail. We wish all of our friends a safe and happy festive season and look forward to working with you in 2011.

1. A special wine tasting and technology showcase for key wine industry leaders were organised to celebrate the AWRI’s 55th anniversary of supporting Australian grape and wine producers.
2. Breakthrough in smoke taint diagnostics. (i) New multi-analyte methods for quantification of conjugated and free volatile phenols (including phenol, cresols, guaiacol, methylguaiacol, vinylguaiacol, syringol and methylsyringol) have been developed using HPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS, respectively. (ii) Aroma detection threshold values in a red wine base have been established for volatile phenol compounds implicated in bushfire smoke taint. (iii) Aided by synthesized glycosidic precursors the release of the volatile phenol guaiacol and its role in retro-nasal smoke flavor perception has been demonstrated.
3. In a world-first, Australian producers of Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris wines have access to a simple labelling device which informs consumers the ‘style’ of the wine in the bottle at point of sale or before opening. Called the PinotG Style Spectrum, the label indicates to consumers whether the style of the Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris wine is ‘crisp’ or ‘luscious’ or somewhere on the spectrum of possible styles in-between. Additionally, the labelling device will potentially help remove the confusion which results from the common use of the two names for the same variety, which are often difficult to relate to the style of the wine in the bottle. See PinotG.com.au for more details.
4. Improved understanding of the formation of tropical fruit aromas during winemaking through the development and application of an HPLC-MS/MS method, which quantifies precursors to 3-mercaptohexanol (3-MH).
5. Improved identification of compounds responsible for ‘reductive’ character: compounds most likely associated with ‘reductive’ characters are hydrogen sulfide, methanethiol and dimethyl sulfide, while methyl thioacetate could act as a source of methanethiol over time. ‘Struck flint’ aroma in white wine may be linked to the compound benzyl mercaptan.
6. Strong evidence links eucalyptol in red wine to eucalyptus trees grown in close proximity to vineyards.
7. Improved understanding of tannin achieved indicates that (i) grape-derived cell wall materials have a stronger affinity for seed tannins than skin tannins; (ii) an increase in winemaker perception of quality is related to an increase in the concentration of tannins, particularly skin tannins in wine; and (iii) older tannins interact only weakly with proteins and this could explain the ‘softening’ effect that wines undergo with age.
8. Tannin measurement went on-line via a handy web portal, showing winemakers how to use tannin to their advantage and compare against regional and national measurements.
9. Non-destructive analysis of wine in-bottle is now possible through collaboration with the AWRI, Jeffress Engineering and Camo Software, using the BevScan. This technology could potentially be used to screen wine stocks to identify damaged from high quality wine due to bottling, packaging, storage or other variables.
10. Yeast strain-derived sensory effects can be retained for long periods. A sensory study on two sets of three year old Sauvignon Blanc wines showed that there were significant differences between wines made with different yeast strains, and these differences were retained for almost three years.
11. Enhanced activity of two, previously uncharacterised, yeast genes has been shown to increases the release of 3-mercaptohexanol during fermentation, increasing the pool of wine yeast genes available to improve wine flavour.
12. A proof-of-concept, GM, wine yeast prototype strain reduced ethanol concentration from 15.5% (v/v) to 12% (v/v) in small-scale winemaking trials in both Chardonnay and Shiraz musts.
13. AWRI-developed wine yeast wins award in Germany. Maurivin Platinum, a low-H₂S yeast developed by AWRI, won an award at Intervitis-Interfructa in Stuttgart, Germany, for Innovation in Processing for Wine.
14. Genome sequences of five commercial wine yeast strains have been determined and the data generated has highlighted what makes wine yeast different from other yeast.
15. Alternatives to bentonite fining are gaining traction with confirmation of the use of proteolytic enzymes to degrade haze-forming PR proteins, combined with heat treatment, can reduce the concentration of unstable grape proteins.
16. Our understanding of red wine fruit flavours has significantly been improved through establishment of relationships among compositional data and sensory properties from two large red wine sensory-consumer studies.
17. Environmental web portal launched. This allows users to search the AWRI’s dedicated database of environmental articles; use the dedicated Environment Search Engine to search across multiple relevant websites related to environmental issues in one place; and to browse a range of specially-selected links clustered by topic.
18. Confirmation that a high proportion of consumers prefer wines with some ‘green’ capsicum-like flavour. Producers of Sauvignon Blanc have greater guidance regarding appropriate levels of this and the ‘cat urine/sweaty’ aroma.
19. Sensory study shows split consumer preferences for ‘savoury’ flavours in red wines.
20. The WIC Winemaking Service was set up in January 2010 and has completed its first successful year of operation. The WIC Winemaking Service is a joint partnership between the AWRI and the University of Adelaide.
21. AWRI staff members gave 320 oral presentations, conducted 17 workshops and presented 20 posters.
22. AWRI staff members presented 37 lectures and coordinated the Grape Industry Practices, Policy and Communication six week subject to undergraduate students.
23. AWRI staff members supervised/co-supervised 21 postgraduate students.
24. Increased requests for information serviced. AWRI staff members responded to 5,591 recorded requests for information during the 2009/2010 year. To put the statistics into perspective, 22 people contacted the AWRI seeking information on every working day of the year. This figure does not include the amount of problem solving samples investigated (1,000) or the number of Commercial Services analyses undertaken during the year.

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).