The Australian-based Wine & Viticulture Journal has just published the final of an extensive two-part overview of the research currently being undertaken by the world’s key grape and wine research organisations.
Peter Hayes, past president of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine and a former executive director of Australia’s Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation, has commended the Journal for compiling the overview, describing it as the most comprehensive he’d seen.
Titled ‘What’s the world doing in grape and wine research?’, Part 1 of the overview was published in the March-April issue of the Journal and summarised the research projects being undertaken by Australia’s key research bodies, such as the Australian Wine Research Institute, the National Wine & Grape Industry Centre, CSIRO, state departments of agriculture and primary industries and the University of Adelaide. Part 2 was published in the just-released July-August issue and lists projects from overseas institutes such as Plant & Food Research in New Zealand, Stellenbosch University in South Africa, Cornell University in the United States and Hochschule Geisenheim University in Germany
“My compliments to the Wine & Viticulture Journal for its inspiration, initiative and energy applied to this substantial project,” said Hayes, whose previous roles also include national viticulturist and industry affairs manager with Southcorp Wines. “I have seen a number of compendia and comparative charts on global wine sector R&D but none as current or as comprehensive as this effort.
“The introductory comments to each of the two parts, covering Australian and international R&D, offers a good overview of context and invites deeper examination of the diversity, coverage, common themes and repeated works across the global industry.”
“I see an interesting and encouraging integration of new technologies, techniques and approaches applied to a broadened range of themes relevant to the sector with no doubt promising outcomes likely.It’s nevertheless surprising to see relatively few overtly multi-disciplinary approaches applied to ongoing, traditional areas; perhaps we are still hoping to find the elusive silver-bullet?” he noted.
Hayes suggested the overview could be used as a foundation to map projects around themes, to outline collaborations and to explore the application and effect of the various projects.
“It’s notable that few projects seem to explicitly address interaction or engagement with industry; several listed projects imply or infer such but few expressly address this matter in a the clear manner of the project WINETech Plus, being carried out by France’s National Institute for Agronomical Research, the stated aim of which is to “promote innovation and technology transfer in the wine sector, encouraging the establishment of stable relationships between sector companies and entities of their scientific and technological environment”.
“Given the pressures on public investment in R&D, this aspect will likely become of increasing concern to many industries, organisations and their researchers,” Hayes said.
To subscribe to the Wine & Viticulture Journal click here https://www.winebiz.com.au/wvj/subscribe/ and gain access to searchable online archives of the key articles in each issue of the Journal published since 2011, including the research overview, and a PDF version of each issue.
