Australia’s Wine Future: A Climate Atlas

Aims: The current study seeks to demonstrate that premium Shiraz wines from different Australian geographic indications (GI) can be distinguished by their volatile compound composition. 

Reduced off-flavour is an organoleptic defect due to an excess of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) in wine and often happening in Shiraz wines. This off-flavour is a direct consequence of the lack of oxygen flow during winemaking and bottle storage. Therefore, wine closure could have a direct impact on the formation of VSC due to the oxygen transfer rate that can modulate their levels. Even if dimethylsulfide (DMS) contributes to reduced off-flavor, it is also a fruity note enhancer in wine and its evolution during wine ageing is not well understood.

In Washington State, the majority of winegrape (Vitis vinifera) vineyards are planted to their own roots. This practice is possible due to the lack of established phylloxera populations, and is preferred due to the ease of retraining after damaging winter cold events. However, own-rooted V. vinifera is generally susceptible to most plant parasitic nematodes that attack grape. In Washington State, management of nematodes is dominated by preplant soil fumigation. One practice that may mitigate economic loss due to nematodes is the adoption of nematode-“resistant” rootstocks.

Sustainable viticulture and winemaking continue to represent huge challenges, where a better knowledge about the functional role of biodiversity in the vineyard ecosystems is required.

A statistical model of sugar potential for Mourvèdre grapevine cultivar has been obtained using a group of 32 plots all around de south-east french mediterranean area.