Keynote Profiles and Abstract

Prof. Dr. Monika Christmann is a German oenology professor and the Head of the Department for Oenology and Wine Technology and Winery at the Hochschule Geisenheim University.

The author of numerous treatises on wine research and technology, she completed her BSc in Beverage Technology at the Wiesbaden University of Applied Sciences, followed by both a MSc degree in Oenology and PhD in Agricultural Sciences at the Justus Liebig University Giessen.

Christmann has served on the International Organisation for Vine and Wine (OIV) in various capacities since 1995, where she is now the Honorary President, and lectures in Oenology at the Hochschule Geisenheim University. She also applies her extensive wine knowledge by contributing to continuing professional training programs in countries around the world, including lecturing for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).

Climate change with its very unpredictable extreme weather events is creating more and more challenging problems for the production of wines all around the world. But what can we do about it? Could all problems be solved in the vineyards with i.e. adapted viticultural practices, new fungi tolerant varieties, use of drones for site specific needs .....? Can we find solutions in the winemaking process like alcohol reduction or acid management?

The answer is not easy as we are facing additional requirements and obstacles in the international trade but also in consumer expectations. Questions of defining additives versus processing aids and its labelling are discussed. Is organic production always sustainable? How to deal with the anti-alcohol campaigns? What are the new consumer expectations concerning “natural wines” and the declaration of ingredients on the label?

There are very controversial opinions on the various questions in the international wine making community. In this presentation we will look at these issues and try to find some common answers on how to preserve Cool Climate Wine Styles in the future.

Elizabeth Wolkovich is currently an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia and holds a Canadian Research Chair in Temporal Ecology. She completed her PhD in ecology at Dartmouth, followed by a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California, San Diego and a Biodiversity Centre Fellowship at the University of British Columbia, after which she was an Assistant Professor in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University.

Wolkovich’s research focuses on how phenology shapes plants and plant communities. She is particularly interested in how climate change will affect different winegrape varieties, and how shifting varieties may help growers adapt to warming. Winegrape projects in her lab draw on collaborations and data from France, Switzerland, New Zealand, California and British Columbia.

INNOVATION AND ADAPTATIONS IN VITICULTURE. MODELLING GRAPEVINE PHENOLOGY AND IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON VITICULTURE.

Wine grapes have a high sensitivity to climate, and the impacts of climate warming are already becoming clear. Dr. Wolkovich will review the shifts in wine grape phenology and predictions for the future, with a focus on diversity of responses among varieties. She will show how the projected negative impacts could be mitigated by adopting strategies that exploit varietal diversity.

Kerry Wilkinson is a Professor of Oenology at the University of Adelaide in South Australia. She teaches into the University’s Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology and Master of Wine Business programs and leads a productive wine science research group. Her primary research interests concern the flavour chemistry of grapes and wine: from the viticultural management of green characters to the improved utility of oak for wine maturation, and from consumer preferences for different styles of sparkling wine to applications of technology that enhance wine production and profitability. However, her most significant contribution to wine science is her research into the impact of vineyard exposure to bushfire smoke, which aims to address an issue that remains an ongoing challenge to grape and wine producers around the world.

SMOKE TAINT: UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING THE IMPACTS OF GRAPEVINE SMOKE EXPOSURE

Climate change has become a major challenge for grape and wine production around the world. Grapegrowers and winemakers are not only affected by increasing temperatures and prolonged drought, but by vineyard exposure to bushfire/wildfire smoke, which can taint grapes and wine, causing significant revenue losses where unpalatable smoky, ashy characters render wine unsaleable. Considerable research has therefore been undertaken to understand the compositional and sensory consequences of grapevine smoke exposure.

Volatile phenols have been identified as constituents of smoke, and can be found in grapes immediately after smoke exposure, but are rapidly glycosylated, giving volatile phenol glucosides, gentiobiosides, diglycosides and rutinosides. During fermentation, some glycoconjugates are hydrolysed by yeast and/or enzymes, releasing volatile phenols into wine. However, a significant proportion of the glycoconjugate pool remains after winemaking, and can contribute to the sensory perception of smoke taint due to in-mouth hydrolysis. Ideally, smoke taint diagnostics should therefore comprise determination of both volatile phenols and their glycoconjugates, either directly (by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS, respectively) or indirectly (by GC-MS, before and after hydrolysis).

The detection of smoke taint is further complicated by the natural occurrence of some volatile phenols in the fruit and wine of some grape varieties, Shiraz in particular. The varietal, regional and temporal variation in naturally-occurring volatile phenols has therefore been studied, to help inform decision-making in the lead up to vintage.

This presentation will provide an overview of smoke taint chemistry and analysis methods, and the latest strategies for mitigation and amelioration of smoke taint in the vineyard or winery.

Miguel A. Torres was born in Barcelona, where he studied Chemical Sciences for 1 year at the University of Barcelona. In 1959 he moved to the University of Dijon, where he specialised in Oenology and Viticulture. In 1992 during a sabbatical year, Miguel studied viticulture at the University of Montpellier.

Miguel joined the family business as a winemaker in 1962. Miguel is married to Waltraud Maczassek, his German wife who helped building up international markets. Together they have 3 children, of which 2 are working in the winery: Miguel as General Manager and Mireia as Manager of R&D&I, Manager of Jean Leon and President of the Familia Torres Foundation.

During his long career Miguel has travelled all over the world, visiting more than 50 countries. Currently he is the President of the company, President of the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV), which represents the Spanish winery industry and President of FIVIN (Foundation for Wine and Nutrition Research).

No one has done more to turn Icewine into Canada’s signature wine around the world than the founding partners of Inniskillin; Karl Kaiser and Donald Ziraldo. Fuelled by a passion for this exceptional wine style, and a pursuit of excellence, this innovator became a tireless global ambassador for Icewine. Partnering with top Sommeliers, wine writers and restaurants, Donald Ziraldo transformed Icewine into a world-renowned luxury brand. Donald continues his impact on the Canadian wine industry to this day. He was the Founding Chairman of the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) and in 2006, was appointed as the Chairman of the Canadian Horticultural Research and Innovation Center at Vineland by the Ministry of Agriculture.

In 1998, Donald received the Order of Canada; the highest tribute paid to its citizens.

In 1999, the National Post Magazine chose Donald as one of the top twenty-five Canadian CEO’s of the century. In 2008 Donald was awarded the Premio Masi by his peers in Verona, Italy, the Folio D’oro in Friuli, Italy in 2010. He sits on various Board of Directors including as Shaftsbury Films (Murdock Mysteries) and Genome Canada. Donald and Victoria are co-chairs of 2016 Niagara Leadership Campaign for United Way. Donald is the author of several books, including Icewine: Extreme Winemaking. With his Ziraldo label, Donald continues in his role as a global ambassador for Canadian Icewine creating another luxury Icewine Brand. A passionate skier, a collector of Art Deco. Donald, with wife Victoria and son Aspen (6 yr old) resides in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada.

WINE BUSINESS KEYNOTE: THE BUSINESS OF WINERY SUSTAINABILITY: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE WINE BUSINESS: PEOPLE, PLACE AND PROFIT?

Climate change and its manifestations—such as continual increased temperatures, persisting water deficits, and extreme weather conditions worldwide—are major challenges in wine production. Starting from grape growers seeing the effects of climate change in the soil, in the roots of the vines, and the yields of their crops, and it continues with winemakers experiencing increasingly higher temperatures and extreme weather conditions that have damaged vintages and the life of many in the industry (CBS 60 Minutes, 2021; Van Leeuwen and Darriet, 2016).

In this keynote session, two thought leaders will share their insights through their conversation on (1) what the major factors that contribute to the climate change problems are for the global wine industry, (2) how the different wine regions and communities should cope and deal with these problems, along with both the positive and negative implications of climate change to the vineyard management, wine making, and beyond, and (3) what some growth and sustainability strategies that could be explored by the industry’s members.

Van Leeuwen, C., & Darriet, P. (2016). The Impact of Climate Change on Viticulture and Wine Quality. Journal of Wine Economics, 11(1), 150-167. doi:10.1017/jwe.2015.21 CBS 60 Minutes. Effects of climate change taking root in the wine industry [Video file]. (2021, December 26).

Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/ CBS 60 Minutes. Europe’s wine industry being altered by climate change [Video file]. (2021, December 27).

Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/

Kimberly Nicholas is an Associate Professor of Sustainability Science at Lund University in Sweden. She studies how to manage natural resources to both support a good life today, and leave a thriving planet for future generations. In particular, her research focuses on sustainable farming systems that benefit both people and ecosystems, the wine industry under climate change, and linking research with policy and practice to support a zero-emissions society that she hopes to live to see. She nearly became a consultant to the California wine industry instead.

She holds a BSc and PhD from Stanford University and MSc degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California-Davis.

FROM IDEA TO INFORMATION TO IMPACT: SHARING WINE SCIENCE TO INSPIRE CLIMATE ACTION How can experts effectively reach media and wine lovers with accurate, actionable information and inspiration to better understand and protect the wines we love? Kimberly Nicholas grew up on her family’s vineyard in Sonoma, California, and has researched wine and climate change since 2003. She will share best practices for developing effective messages and targeting and reaching new audiences through traditional and social media, podcasts, and popular science writing, to effectively increase the societal benefit of research.