On a recent visit to the Bird in Hand winery in the Adelaide Hills, I was delighted not only to find an array of excellent yet affordable wines – my personal favourites being the elegantly oaked chardonnays and the sparkling pinot noir – but also very friendly and knowledgeable staff. I was visiting with my winemaking group who had all sorts of questions for the lady behind the counter with the pleasant American accent.

Leah Adint

The lady is Leah Adint, and I discovered that she was just finishing her Masters in Oenology at the University of Adelaide, and would soon be moving on from Bird in Hand to work the 2012 vintage in Woodside in the hills, with Taras Ochota and Peter Leske, two renowned South Australian winemakers. Leah will be working on Peter’s La Linea and Vertigo labels, as well as Taras’s Ochota Barrels labels, and a range of contract wines for Nepenthe, Hugh Hamilton, Nova Vita and some other labels. Tigchandler.com readers will be familiar with Taras Ochota as the ‘Meet the Australian flying Swedish-Italian winemaker in the hills!’

Leah kindly agreed to tell me more about her background and how a girl from Alaska ends up as a winemaker in the Adelaide Hills with some of the best winemakers in this country. Leah says people are often amused to find out she is from Alaska, given her chosen career, but as she very rightly says.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re born – there’s plenty of books!” Hear hear!

The path to becoming a winemaker in Adelaide

Leah’s father worked for a wine distributor called K&L in Alaska, and it was a lifestyle that looked attractive: “He seemed to be treated pretty well by the wineries, he was flown all over the world to go to wineries including California and France, I thought that looks amazing!”

When choosing a degree to take, Leah favoured sciences, and when she found that Washington State University had a winemaking degree, that fit the bill, and it was not too far from home.

That degree was quite horticulture based, i.e. more on the vineyard side than on the winery side. After four years she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in viticulture and oenology.

Then she went to California and did her first two vintages there – Sonoma Valley for the first and Napa Valley for the second, both times working in the laboratory. The first was a really small winery – the whole harvest was eight people and everyone was hands-on and friendly. At the other end of the scale, the second was the biggest winery in the Napa Valley, with an annual crush of around 120,000 tonnes, called Sutter Home. There were 20 people in the lab alone doing hundreds of samples a day.

Wanting to expand her knowledge further Leah decided to do a Masters – and was accepted at the University of Adelaide. She spent three months in Margaret River where her partner Steven Hicks was doing a vintage and fell in love with the place immediately. Then in June 2010 she came to Adelaide and started the 1.5 year Masters programme. Her partner started the same programme exactly one year after her, having returned from doing a vintage in Gisborne, New Zealand for a custom crush facility. What an array of experience this young couple already has between them!

Leah’s research focus

Leah’s first degree included courses in chemistry, biology, genetics and organic chemistry, which she found interesting, but all the more so when you see – “ah this is why the vines grow this way, this is why the pH is important in a wine”.

“When I came to Adelaide, the work is so hands on – I’ve made five or six different wines just over the course of the programme, from grapes that we pick. It’s a steeper learning curve when you mess something up with an actual wine. You see why calculations are so important because if you mess up an add – oh I don’t want to drink that any more!”

For the last part of the University of Adelaide Masters programme, there is a choice of taking more courses or doing a research project. Leah chose the latter – “you meet totally different people. Otherwise I’d never have met PhD students or research students, see a different aspect of it.

“Here you have the AWRI (Australian Wine Research Institute) working with the University of Adelaide, and if something comes out of the research, people are going to try it.” Having this array of experience and expertise on the Waite campus there is collaboration and cooperation between key wine research organisations. “Even as a coursework student you get lectures from AWRI people on what their research is, or answer any question you might have an answer to.”

So what did you look at in your Masters research projects?

“My research is on sulphate transport of the yeast cell, so taking any sulphur that’s in your grapes or your juice and seeing how the yeast interacts with it – generally it produces some quite negative characters. So maybe elimination of that transport would eliminate the characters. I have been working on genetically modifying these yeasts and trying to do it in an industry friendly way, i.e. you are not allowed to use any genetically modified organisms in winemaking. If you split the DNA and recombine anything it is frowned upon, but if you do it in a random way so that some random mutation happens, and it happens to be in that spot where you want, well that’s OK.

“So I did it in two different ways – very direct genetic modification versus this random – something may come out. That is actually still being worked on. My project was taken over which is nice to see as it shows you’re onto something substantial.

“It is applicable to the wine industry because almost every ferment gets these negative sulphur smells which you can get rid of through the winemaking process but it’s always through additions of things that you really wouldn’t want to add if you didn’t have to.

“More research is going on and I hope a paper will come out of it – or a yeast.”

On wine research in Australia – “I think the research and technology here is some of the best. Here and California probably have the most direct approaches and are the most inclined to try new technology – like the filtering and fining methods that people are developing.”

The passion of the grape

The question that will get any winemaker talking openly and sharing their passion is – what is your favourite wine – grape, style, the whole deal.

“Cab sauv hands down!” she says. “Everything about it from the grape to the wine it’s so distinctly cabernet. You can pop a grape in your mouth and the tastes and tannins are so distinct you know it’s cabernet. I love that really dark fruit, the big maceration and tannin. And it’s quite regionally adaptive. You go to the Margaret River and it’s completely to the Barossa or Napa Valley where you get the really fine tannins. It’s a fruit difference as well as a tannin difference.

“I definitely like the riper styles more than the Margaret River styles that are quite green.” What about the mintiness that you get in Coonawarra? “That was completely foreign to me coming from the States because if there’s eucalypt in a vineyard there they rip it out completely, precisely because it gives that character. I can appreciate it as maybe a complexing factor but it doesn’t do it for me as a wine character.” I was equally puzzled when I came to Adelaide by this character being sought after so I was nodding in agreement.

“My favourite white grape is gewürztraminer – it’s beautiful. When I worked in the Russian River in Sonoma, I was in the vineyards as well. You taste the grapes as you walk through – the gewürztraminer grapes are delicious, you can just eat a whole bunch. I love that floral, rosewater character, and the spice gives it a kick and you can make it in so many different styles – you can make a super dry style, or a sweet style, a dessert style. You can make it with a bit of colour if you want to, you can make a sparkling – St Hallett does a frizzante style which is delicious, it’s called the Frivola. It’s lightly bubbled and lightly sweet.”

As a gewürztraminer fan myself (see Tigchandler.com articles on this amazing grape), I had to recommend two favourites of mine that you can buy in Adelaide – Hugel from Alsace, France, and Lawson’s Dry Hills from Marlborough, New Zealand. Amazing underappreciated wines that take you to another dimension…

An interesting combination: “You would never find a gewürztraminer and a cabernet sauvignon in the same climate!”

Thanks Leah!

The scholarship is supported by the Faculty of Sciences, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide.

Field of Study: Wine consumer behaviour and consumption dynamics in the lower and low alcohol segments of the Australian wine market and responsiveness of the retail dimension of the wine value chain.

Eligibility: Applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia who are acceptable as candidates for a PhD degree at the University of Adelaide.

Stipend: The scholarship will be for up to 3 years commencing in 2012 and has a stipend of $23,728 per annum (indexed). It is likely to be tax exempt, subject to Taxation Office approval.

Enquiries: Associate Professor Johan Bruwer, Discipline of Wine Science and Business, University of Adelaide.

Tel (08) 8303 6764; Fax (08) 8303 7116; or Email: johan.bruwer@adelaide.edu.au

To apply: Application for Admission and Scholarship must be submitted using the Online Application Form available at: https://hdrapp.adelaide.edu.au/auth/login

For students who have applied in the 2012 University of Adelaide Major Round, please email a summary of your application for admission and scholarship to Associate Professor Bruwer with ‘Application for Low Alcohol Wine’ in the subject heading. You can request a copy of your application summary by emailing scholarships@adelaide.edu.au with the subject heading ‘Request for application summary’.

Closing date: 17 February 2012

Funds are available for new projects or to complete existing projects that lead to peer-reviewed publication. They are typically one-off payments of between $10,000 and $20,000 and may be contributory to a larger project where appropriate. Funds must be used by the end of 2012.

Topics must be of relevance to current wine industry issues.

Examples of small grant projects awarded Wine2030 funding in 2011 are presented in the Research/Small Grants section of this website.

The application form is available here and should be completed and emailed to wine2030@adelaide.edu.au.

The application deadline is Monday 30 January 2012.

Any queries should be directed to Barry Burgan (08 8303 4756) or Vladimir Jiranek (08 8303 6651).

Left to right: Peter Dry, Tony Proffitt, Patrick Iland and Steve Tyerman holding a brand spanking new copy of 'The Grapevine' at Urrbrae House, Adelaide

As the title states, this book takes the reader right through the process of growing grapes to the wine at the end of the process. This a comprehensive book of over 300 pages, provided in hard back, A4 size, and attractively interspersed with clear diagrams of processes and photos to support the text.

Objective

“The objective of this book is to provide a link between scientific principles and the practice of viticulture. It is concerned with providing knowledge, asking questions and stimulating thought and discussion about the growing of grapes for the making of wine.” (Preface)

While the book had been designed primarily as a key reference for undergraduates and postgraduate students, it is also useful for anyone involved in grape and/or wine production as it covers “the basic principles of the molecular, physiological, biochemical and practical aspects of growing vines for wine”. It is the first book of its kind to combine so many elements into a form that works as the key text for any viticulture student. In fact the material for some of the chapters came from course notes for the University of Adelaide viticultural courses.

The extensive literature review provides a snapshot of the current knowledge. New developments, in both research and practice, are discussed. Material is based on research studies, field trials, and the opinions of the authors and industry personnel. This mix of knowledge helps to focus the consideration of the most useful ways to link science and practice.

Overview

As a simplified overview, this fascinating book starts with domestication of the vine and the first breeding programmes and early wines. It goes through the structure of the grape, its growth cycle, including flowering, fruitset, photosynthesis and yield. Molecular biology delves into the genes and plant genomics. Then we move onto wine styles and quality; water, soil and the vine; water use efficiency; climate, climate change and its impacts.

The authors provide a sobering quote to round off the preface:

Be conscious of the past, thoughtful of the present and imaginative for the future.

Purchase

The book can be purchased from the Patrick Iland Wine Books website.

Dedication:

The book is dedicated to Dr Bryan Coombe (AM, MAgSc, PhD), a former Reader in Horticultural Science at the University of Adelaide and one of the world’s leading viticultural scientists.

The authors:

Dr Patrick Iland (BAppSc, MAgSc, PhD) has been involved in wine education for over 35 years. A former Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide, he has taught and researched in the areas of wine chemistry, viticulture and sensory evaluation. His research has focused on the effects of viticultural practices on grape and wine quality and wine sensory properties. In 2007, he was awarded the Order of Australia medal for services to the Australian wine industry. Now retired, he remains a Visiting Research Fellow with the University of Adelaide.

Dr Peter Dry (BAgSc, MAgSc, PhD) has been a viticultural scientist for 40 years. He was an Associate Professor at the University of Adelaide until he retired in 2008. He is best known for his research into developing the partial rootzone drying (PRD) irrigation strategy, which evolved from initial research into water stress physiology of the grapevine. He continues to act as a viticulture consultant to the Australian Wine Research Institute.

Dr Tony Proffitt (BSc, MSc, PhD, Postgraduate Dip. Viticulture) has worked in the technical, consultancy, extension and educational sectors of the Australian wine industry since 1995. He has worked for Southcorp Wines (now Treasury Wine Estates), and currently lectures in viticulture at Curtin University, and works with AHA Viticulture, a vineyard management and consultancy company in Margaret River, Western Australia.

Professor Steve Tyerman (BSc Hons, PhD, FAA) is a leading scientist in the field of plant physiology. He teaches viticulture in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine at the University of Adelaide and is leading research on vine and berry water relations and vine drought tolerance. He is also the programme leader in water for Primary Industries Research Network within the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility.

The team’s progress as well as its success in attracting the $405,000 ARC grant for the project was reported in the Adelaide Advertiser on 2 November 2011, in an article entitled Roll out barrel for bung idea.

See also the media release by Federal Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr of 1 November 2011, which gives an overview of the 76 research projects with funding approved in South Australia, amounting to $23 million in all, of which $15.3 million was awarded to the University of Adelaide for a total of 48 projects.

The closing date for this round of applications is 11 November 2011– that’s soon! For full details go to the GWRDC pages entitled Guidelines and Applications PhD and Honours.

The PhD Scholarship
The GWRDC PhD scholarship programme aims to attract postgraduate students into wine, viticulture and wine business research. For three years of full-time study, the full scholarships provide annual funding of up to:

• $30,000 student stipend, and

• $10,000 operating funds.

There are also options for candidates to apply for PhD supplementary scholarships or to undertake part-time PhD study and funding will be adjusted accordingly.

Honours Scholarship
The GWRDC Honours scholarship programme also provides opportunities for postgraduate students in the fields of wine, viticulture and wine business research.

Full-time Honours scholarships are available for up to $6,000, consisting of a $4,000 student stipend and $2,000 operating support for the research project.

Again there are part-time study options with funding adjusted accordingly.

How do you apply?
Go to the GWRDC website for full details. The GWRDC also welcomes all enquiries about the application process. GWRDC can be contacted on 08 8273 0500 or email: gwrdc@gwrdc.com.au.

Applicants are encouraged to consult the GWRDC’s Five-year R&D Plan 2007–12 and Annual Operating Plan 2010–11 when developing your applications. These documents are available on the GWRDC website.

Share your opinion in my online survey and be a part of a research project at University of Adelaide

My name is Yaelle Saltman, I am a PhD candidate in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine in the University of Adelaide. My research project is concerned with: wine consumers’ acceptance of food additives in wines; what wine consumers already know about food additives in wines; and to what extent they are willing to accept the addition of food additives to wines for the purpose of improving wine quality.

As a participant in the survey you will be asked to rate your level of knowledge about food additives in general and food additives in wines. You will also be asked to rate your level of acceptance of potential future additives in wines. Finally, by providing general demographic and wine purchasing habit information, we will be able to profile wine consumers and segment them according to their level of acceptance of innovation practices in wine.

Enter the survey here

Thank you!

Do you consume wine?

Are you willing to participate in our project by completing an anonymous survey?

This project at the University of Adelaide aims to understand the views of the general public and those working within the wine industry on the use of new technologies in winemaking in Australia. It is suggested that increased global competition, shifts in consumer demands and expectations especially regarding wine quality, and concerns about the need for more environmentally-friendly production practices are driving some in the industry to support consideration of these technologies. The research phase of this project will be conducted during the second half of 2011 and is supported by Wine2030.

Enter our survey here: Survey on public views of the use of new technologies in wine.

Would you be willing to participate in a focus group in Adelaide on public views of the use of technology in the wine industry?

Yes? Focus group: Answer a few short questions and register your interest here.

This project is lead by Associate Professor Rachel Ankeny.

More information on current projects within the Food Ethics group may be found here.

The Crush 2011 symposium, organised by the Wine Innovation Cluster, brought together top wine and grape researchers from all over Australia and overseas, from universities, research institutes, industry and government to present the latest cutting edge research, to network and to foster future collaborative opportunities. The University of Adelaide had a strong attendance, as did the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the University of South Australia, Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWRDC), South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), and other universities and institutions around Australia and overseas. Inspiring talks were provided in the plenary session at the National Wine Centre by GWRDC Chairman Rory McEwen, Kym Anderson, John Brooks of Zork, Mark Thomas of CSIRO Plant Industry, Keren Bindon of AWRI and Rebekah Richardson of Pernod-Ricard Pacific.

Professor Anderson gave an insightful and concise summary of the challenges facing Australia’s wine industry today, essentially:

• Profits of wineries have nose-dived

• Winegrape prices fell sharply in 2009, 2010 and in 2011

• Bulk wine exports 47% in 2010-11, up from 15% 1996-2003

• Import share of domestic wine sales has risen from 3% in 2001 to 15% in 2010-11 (NZ, France, Italy)

• Volatility of weather is not expected to lessen

Trade is a huge consideration for the Australian wine industry, with 66% of our wine production exported in 2009. Meanwhile the world market for wine has got tougher with the strong Australian dollar, fashion swing away from our wine in the traditional markets (UK, US, Germany), strong competition from other global producers, oversupply of wine in Europe, the growth of supermarket power in wine sales, environmental concerns, and so on. Plus wine is being targeted in a number of countries including Australia with regard to negative health implications, including rising taxes and regulations.

However! Globalisation has a long way to go and there are huge opportunities as wine expenditure grows around the world, particularly in Asia, dominated by China. Furthermore, in terms of the average price of bottled still wine imports, five of the top 10 countries globally are Asian so there are profits to be made!

The data behind Kym’s presentation are from a new compendium of global wine statistics, downloadable as a free e-book at www.adelaide.edu.au/press/titles/global-wine or in Excel format at www.adelaide.edu.au/wine-econ.

Kym Anderson is the Executive Director of the Wine Economics Research Centre, University of Adelaide, and a member of Wine2030, University of Adelaide.

Details of the Crush 2011 symposium including full programme and abstracts may be found at www.wineinnovationcluster.com/crush2011

Australian shiraz grapes about to be harvested

As part of the research proposal, we are running a survey of the Australian wine industry to seek your views on the format of the dictionary and the range of terms that might be included.

The following link will take you directly to the survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MSTYFMJ

We would really appreciate you, or someone in your company, taking the time to complete the survey, which should take about 15 minutes. The data from the survey will ensure that we meet the needs of the industry in a market that offers enormous potential to Australian wine producers.

If you have any questions about the survey, please do not hesitate to contact the Project Manager, Trent Johnson (trent.johnson@adelaide.edu.au or 0413 193 330), School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, the University of Adelaide.

We look forward to a positive response from industry and would like to thank those who have already provided their responses.