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Adapting to drier and warmer conditions in the vineyard and winery THE AUSTRALIAN WINE industry will need to adapt to meet the challenge of drier and warmer weather, a grape and wine symposium heard last month. Even subtle changes in temperature regimes can affect crop behaviour and performance, the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) has found. The research project, led by SARDI crop scientists Victor Sadras and Martin Moran, and Treasury Wine Estates viticulturist Paul Petrie, has been measuring the effect of elevated temperature and drought on vines and wines. This work will help growers and winemakers to develop the technologies to maintain the production of quality grapes and regional wine styles in the face of changing climatic conditions. Funded by the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, this research will provide the industry with a window to the future. Dr Sadras says among other things, it will develop maturity projections for specific varieties, given that each grape variety reacts slightly differently to temperature and other environmental conditions. While experiments in SARDI vineyards in the Barossa Valley showed that elevated temperature is unlikely to cause severe yield reductions, it is likely to alter wine balance. “In red wine varieties such as Shiraz and Cabernet Franc, for example, elevated temperature upsets the balance between pigments and sugars in berries, with consequences for wine colour and potential alcohol,” he said. “Timely reduction of water supply during berry ripening can partially restore this balance.” The SARDI researchers presented their findings at Crush 2012, the grape and wine science symposium, in Adelaide, on 15 and 16 November. Other topics addressed at the symposium included: • t he wine industry’s efforts to reduce alcohol content, without diminishing quality and flavour, to meet growing society demands • moves to greener farming methods and whether these will have measurable and genuine benefits for the industry • t he ongoing quest to better understand the origins of wine flavour, both in the vineyard and the winery. Wine Innovation Cluster (WIC) chairman Brian Walsh, from Yalumba Wine Co, said the global success of Australia’s wine was built on the back of a strong research-based culture of innovation. “To some extent, the world has caught up, but our researchers are continuing their work to ensure our wines have a winning edge in a fiercely competitive domestic and global marketplace,” Walsh said. “This is particularly important in our domestic market where a combination of factors, including exchange rates, is seeing Australian wines losing market share to imported wines.” Crush 2012 was organised by the Wine Innovation Cluster which comprises four leading grape and wine research agencies – SARDI, CSIRO Plant Industry, The University of Adelaide and the Australian Wine Research Institute. Based at the Waite Campus, Urrbrae, the WIC brings together these key contributors in Australian research, extension and education to deliver practical solutions for the wine and grape industry.
16 Grapegrower & Winemaker
Christopher Blackford and Sarah Moss from CSIRO Plant Industry with Emily Higginson from University of Adelaide.
Everard Edwards and Simon Robinson from CSIRO Plant Industry with Matthew Giliham, University of Adelaide and Harley Smith, also CSIRO.
Pangzhen Zhang and Kate Howell from University of Melbourne with Jennie Gardner, University of Adelaide.
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December 2012 – Issue 587