WINTER 2023 • VOLUME 38 NUMBER 3
WINTER
• A novel approach to tailor Sauvignon Blanc styles • Towards net zero in the winery • Impact of long-term vineyard floor management on soil health and plant communities • Is there a meaningful role for luxury in wine? • Tasting: $50+ Pinot Noir
)a
CONTENTS
INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION COLUMNS 8
AGW (Lee McLean): Investing in India now will deliver dividends for Australian wine in the future
11
ASVO (Andy Clarke): Viticulture seminars kick off in July
)b
WINEMAKING 13
A novel approach to tailor Sauvignon Blanc styles
19
Decompacting waves: an overview of a ‘soft’ maceration
c)
technique for improving extraction and wine quality
a)
b)
22 c)
27
Spinning cone column distillation of smoke-affected juice and wine
32
Trends in the composition of Australian wine 1990-2021 Part 3: free, total and bound sulfur dioxide concentrations,
)a
b)
22 TOWARDS NET ZERO: Towards net zero in the winery
and the ratio of free to total SO2 concentrations
)ca)
40 AWRI REPORT: An artist in residence at the AWRI: exploring synaesthesia and visual harmony with red wine
)c
)b
flavour
40
VITICULTURE 46 Impact of long-term vineyard floor management on soil health indicators and plant communities 56 Incidence of spring frost under climate change: injury and recovery options in a Barbera vineyard 61
A few words on grapevine winter buds and pruning with respect to sap flow
65 TOWARDS NET ZERIO: The carbon economy and vineyards – Part 2: Preparing for and participating in the new carbon economy
56
67
ALTERNATIVE VARIETIES: Trousseau
BUSINESS & MARKETING 71
Is there a meaningful role for luxury in wine?
73
Update on the market for Australian wine in Southeast Asia
75
Global wine consumption drops to nine-year low as exports hit record value
69
TASTING 78
$50+ Australian and New Zealand Pinot Noir
Established 1985 Published quarterly
Sonya Logan, Editor
PUBLISHER: Hartley Higgins GENERAL MANAGER: Robyn Haworth EDITOR: Sonya Logan Pvh (08) 8369 9502 Fax (08) 8369 9501 Email: s.logan@winetitles.com.au EDITORIAL ADVISORY PANEL: Gary Baldwin, Peter Dry, Mark Krstic, Armando Corsi, Markus Herderich CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Eleanor Bilogrevic Dimitra Capone
Massimo Giudici
Anne Pellegrino
Markus Herderich
Alan PetersOswald
Timothy Cavagnaro
Tony Hoare
Stefano Poni
Andy Clarke
Madison James David Jeffery
Carolyn Puglisi
Adam Keath
Renata Ristic
Justin Cohen Cassandra Collins Angelica Crabb Roberta De Bei Alain Deloire
Merek Kesser Mark Krstic
Suzy Rogiers
Hamish Laurie
Aurélie Roland
Kate Laurie
Jamie Saint
Desireé Likos
C
oal was first. Then it was timber.
their focus on other markets, including those
Barley is expected to be next. It would
in Southeast Asia. In 2022, shipments to the
seem that the lifting of China’s trade
region grew 16 per cent in value and 56% in
sanctions on Australia’s remaining exports
volume to 27 million litres. Angelica Crabb
— wine and lobster — might be a matter of
from Wine Australia provides an update on this
months away, possibly by the end of the year
market for Australian wine on page 73.
according to several expectations.
Our Towards Net Zero series of articles
While the prospect of Australian wine
continues in this issue, beginning with Part 2 of
exports to China resuming will be music to
Tony Hoare’s article in which he explores what
the ears of the industry, the fact remains that
can be done in the vineyard to limit carbon
the market is not what it was when we took it
emissions (page 65). At the other end of the
by storm, becoming our most valuable export
production spectrum, Adam Keath, from Wine
destination in 2016.
Network Consulting, discusses the options
As the OIV’s latest annual State of the
available to wineries to reduce their carbon
Xingchen Wang
World Vine and Wine Sector report reveals
Eric Wilkes
(the highlights of which I’ve summarised in
For this issue’s focus on Grape & Juice
Kerry Wilkinson
an article starting on page 75 in this issue),
Handling, researchers from The University
Tommaso Frioni
Damian Espinase Nandorfy
Leigh Francis
Peter Godden
Wes Pearson
Elizabeth Willing
China’s wine consumption in 2022 fell 16%
of Adelaide look at the effect of the novel
compared with the previous year – indeed,
crushing technique known as ‘accentuated
consumption in the country has dropped an
cut edges’ (ACE), usually used in red wine
average of 2 million hectolitres per year since
production, on the release of varietal thiols
Filippo Del Zozzo Michael Downer Carole Dumont
Lee McLean Fabio Mencarelli
ADVERTISING SALES: Ph (08) 8369 9514 Andrew Everett Email: A.Everett@winetitles.com.au
outputs (page 22).
2018. Consequently, China has been importing
and their precursors during Sauvignon Blanc
DESIGN AND PRODUCTION: Tim Coleman
less wine. Again, according to the OIV’s report,
wine production (page 13), while an Italian
CREATIVE SERVICES: Tim Coleman
China’s wine imports fell 21% by volume in
professor from the University of Pisa shares
2022 compared with 2021; specifically, the
his views on Air-Mixing MI, a relatively new
amount of bottled wine imported by the country
innovation that creates disruptive waves inside
fell 24%.
tanks to manage caps (page 19).
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Nonetheless, the opportunity to win back
Back in Viticulture, in another contribution
some ground in China from the likes of France,
to this issue from The University of Adelaide,
Italy, Spain and Chile who have filled the void
researchers reveal the findings of their
left by our absence cannot be underestimated.
study into the effect of lower impact floor
Perhaps the news we’ve been waiting for
management strategies on ruderal weed
will have broken by the next issue of the
species and soil health indicators compared
Journal….
with tillage and herbicides (page 46).
While China’s anti-dumping duties on Australian bottled wine have all but halted our
And be sure to catch the results of our $50+ Pinot Noir tasting on page 81.
trade with the nation, exporters have increased
Printed by Lane Print, Adelaide, South Australia. ISSN 1838-6547 Printed on FSC Certified Paper, manufactured under the Environmental Management System ISO 14001, using vegetable-based inks from renewable resources. Conditions
The opinions expressed in Wine & Viticulture Journal are not necessarily the opinions of or endorsed by the editor or publisher unless otherwise stated. All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. All material in Wine & Viticulture Journal is copyright © Winetitles Media. All rights reserved.No part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, the publisher will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.
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R E G U L A R F E AT U R E S NEWS 6 AUSTRALIAN GRAPE & WINE 8 ASVO 11 AWRI REPORT 40
ALTERNATIVE VARIETIES 69 VARIETAL REPORT 78 PRODUCTS & SERVICES 89
AUSTR ALIAN GR APE & WINE
Investing in India now will deliver dividends for Australian wine in the future By Lee McLean, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Grape & Wine Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to India in March 2023 was a remarkable
So what has changed and what needs to change?
relationship was limited to the ‘three Cs’ of cricket, curry and the Commonwealth. But
demonstration of the growth in Australia’s
In defence of those governments of
things are changing and changing fast, and
bilateral relationship with India. It was loud,
the past, when you look at the data, one
Australia’s wine sector needs to invest now to
colourful and celebratory, and those who saw
can understand how such discoveries are
reap what may be substantial rewards in the
the PM and his Indian counterpart, Narendra
made. India’s growth and demographic
years ahead. Put simply, we need to become
Modi, being drawn around the oval in a golden
trajectory, democratic political system and
more sophisticated and coordinated in our
chariot at the fourth cricket Test in Ahmedabad
cultural links to Australia made it attractive to
approach and take immediate actions with a
must have sensed the relationship had
Australian leaders. And it’s more attractive
long-term view on returns to the industry.
reached a historic high point.
than ever today. India now has the world’s largest population and the fifth largest
WHAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR
way. We should be mindful of history as we
economy in nominal terms, and its youthful
AUSTRALIAN WINE?
seek to capitalise on this seemingly brighter
population, growing middle class, democratic
future. As the late Australian foreign policy
underpinnings and entrepreneurial, tech-
sensitivities mean the market is far from
analyst, Allan Gyngell AO, used to regularly
driven business cohort has the World
homogenous in its acceptance of alcohol, for
point out, “every Australian Government
Economic Forum projecting India to become
the most part alcohol is a well-understood and
‘discovers’ India at some point in its time
the world’s second-largest economy by 2050.
accepted part of society in India. The Indian
in office”, with the implicit message being
However, despite these discoveries,
market is currently dominated by whiskey and
that when the discoverer dug a little deeper,
the history of the Australia-India bilateral
beer, but as the middle class emerges more
enthusiasm waned upon realising the
relationship has until now been plagued
people are shifting away from hard spirits to
challenges of the market and entrenched
by relatively superficial engagement. For
wine, which is seen as a more stylish and
protectionist politics.
many Australians, our understanding of the
sophisticated choice, particularly for women.
8 ww w.wi neti tl es .c om.au
W I NE & V I T I CU LT U R E J OU R N A L WIN T ER 2 0 2 3
I agree — but it hasn’t always been this
While India’s religious and cultural
V38N3
GRAPE & JUICE HANDLING WINEMAKING
A novel approach to tailor Sauvignon Blanc styles By Xingchen Wang1, Dimitra L. Capone1, Aurélie Roland2, and David W. Jeffery1
The novel crushing technique known as ‘accentuated cut edges’ (ACE), typically used to make red wine, was tested for its effect on the release of varietal thiols and their precursors during Sauvignon Blanc wine production. INTRODUCTION
‘blackcurrant’ (Marais 1994), with the ‘fruity’
This article originated from Xingchen
aroma notes primarily being attributed to a
Wang’s PhD project entitled ‘Varietal thiols
group of sulfur-containing volatiles, namely
and precursors: biogenesis, reactivity, and
varietal thiols (Roland, Schneider, Razungles
impact of winemaking practices’, which
et al. 2011). These thiol molecules are the
was completed in 2022 at The University of
reason we are interested in Sauvignon Blanc,
Adelaide. Two scientific papers from the PhD
as we aim to improve understanding of the
were published under the research scope of
effect of grapegrowing and winemaking
‘Impact of winemaking practices’. Forming
practices for this important white variety in
the basis for this article, one of those papers
Australia.
reported on the impact of a novel grape
Varietal thiols discovered in wine
crushing technique typically used for red
predominantly include 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol
winemaking, along with the influence of yeast
(3-SH), 3-sulfanylhexyl acetate (3-SHA), and
strain and malolactic fermentation on the
4-methyl-4-sulfanylpentan-2-one (4-MSP)
release of varietal thiols and their precursors
(Darriet et al. 1995, Tominaga et al. 1996,
during Sauvignon Blanc wine production
Tominaga et al. 1998). These thiols are
(Wang et al. 2023).
notable for their extremely low odour detection
According to the Wine Australia National
thresholds, determined in hydroalcoholic
Vintage Report 2022, more than 90,000
solution to be 60ng/L for 3-SH, 4.2ng/L for
tonnes of Sauvignon Blanc were crushed
3-SHA, and 0.8ng/L for 4-MSP (Tominaga et
with an approximate value of more than
al. 1998). These compounds were revealed to
A$73 million, making it the second largest
play key roles in characterising wine sensory
crushed white grape variety in Australia. The
profiles (Benkwitz et al. 2012) – in other
typical sensory attributes of Sauvignon Blanc
words, they are character impact odorants.
wine are described as ‘green, herbaceous’,
Intriguingly, they are not initially present to any
‘tropical fruit’, ‘grapefruit’, ‘passionfruit’, and
significant extent in grapes or at the beginning
1
V38N3
IN BRIEF ■ Accentuated cut edges (ACE)
grape crushing technique was evaluated in the production of Sauvignon Blanc wine and compared to conventional crushing.
■ ACE was found to significantly increase the concentrations of varietal thiols compared with the conventional grape crushing treatment.
■ Two yeast strains were studied
for their capacity to release varietal thiols, with one producing more 3-SH and 3-SHA, but less 4-MSP than the other.
■ Impact of malolactic fermentation in Sauvignon Blanc production was studied, showing that the concentrations of 3-SH and 4-MSP were substantially increased, whereas 3-SHA decreased.
■ Sensory analysis on the studied
wines showed that yeast strain and malolactic fermentation had more impact on sensory profiles than the grape crushing method.
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, and Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, PMB 1, Glen Osmond, 5064, South Australia
W I NE & V I T IC U LT U R E J OU R N A L WIN T ER 2 0 2 3
w w w.w i n e ti tl e s.com.au
13
GRAPE & JUICE HANDLING WINEMAKING
Decompacting waves: an overview of a ‘soft’ maceration technique for improving extraction and wine quality By Fabio Mencarelli, Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences, University of Pisa, Italy
A professor at the University of Pisa in Italy, Fabio shares his thoughts on a relatively new innovation that creates disruptive waves inside tanks to manage caps.
M
aceration is one of the most used terms in winemaking. The extraction of enochemical compounds from
grapes is not economically sustainable as it requires a lot of energy, especially when horizontal fermentation tanks are used, and is very invasive and leads to the formation of a lot of lees. The most extraction that can be achieved is 70%, depending on the variety and the maturity stage of the grape. After this, recovery of wine from lees is necessary, requiring the need for filtration which further increases electricity consumption. The equilibrium between the quality of extraction and electricity consumption is very hard to achieve because: • we do not know the maturity of cells in the vineyard (lab analyses can be carried out but these can be time-consuming and therefore cost money), thus we estimate • we do not know what and how to selectively extract for the desired wine
optimal temperature for their activity is
fermentation tanks with a thick cap, but the
product
between 20°C and 25°C. If you achieve a
electricity requirement is very high. Energy
• our biochemical knowledge of
good result, it is not due to the enzyme but the
consumption is also high for pumping over
winemaking is scarce, especially
temperature. To compare maceration with and
and delestage which guarantee a high yet
in relation to several environment
without enzymes, the enzyme concentrations,
momentary mixing rate.
parameters
size of the vats and the temperature inside
• we use an average of grape maturity at
both vats must be the same. This is almost
harvest for vinification and wine fining
impossible, thus you could be throwing away
purposes (unless the vineyard is small
money in using those enzymes.
and perfectly homogenous). Below are some examples of operations
CARBONIC MACERATION Carbonic maceration is well-known in the wine sector but is rarely done accurately, resulting in liquid being exposed to CO2
USE OF MECHANICAL EXTRACTOR
instead of just grape bunches. The metabolic
Whatever the system used to manage the
effect of carbonic maceration is intriguing
cap, extraction depends on the temperature;
but it is also energy consuming due to the
USE OF ENZYMES IN MACERATION
as mentioned above, grape and yeast-derived
use of carbon dioxide in the form of dry ice,
PREFERMENTATION
enzymes require specific temperatures to
unless CO2 captured from fermentation is
work, thus the stratification of temperature is
used. Nitrogen has been used instead of
used at low temperature (4-6°C), therefore
partially solved through mechanical movement
carbon dioxide with surprising aromatic results
only 10-20% of them work because the
of the cap, especially with high vertical
because the metabolism of grapes responds
V38N3
W I NE & V I T IC U LT U R E J OU R N A L WIN T ER 2 0 2 3
with unexpected or unknown outcomes:
Most of the time pectolytic enzymes are
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