Long-serving Australian wine researcher and educator, Bryce Rankine, has died in Adelaide, aged 87.
Born in Murray Bridge, South Australia, in 1925, Rankine began his career in the wine industry in 1950 as a research officer in the Oenological Investigations Section of CSIRO at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute in Adelaide.
Out of this section was formed the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) in 1957 which, together with John Fornachon, he helped set up. Rankine then spent the next 21 years mainly as officer in charge of technical services at the AWRI.
In 1978, he moved to Roseworthy Agricultural College where he became principal lecturer, then head of the school of oenology and, finally, dean of the faculty.
He officially retired in 1986 but was then invited by Len Evans and Brian Croser to establish the Australian Society of Wine Education. This he did, serving as its executive director, before retiring again in 1995.
Rankine was also the author and co-author of several books, including ‘Making Good Wine’, which would be familiar to many in the wine industry, the ‘Evolution of the Modern Australian Wine Industry – A Personal Appraisal’, published in 1996, and ‘Cooperage for Winemakers’.
His funeral service will be held in Adelaide on Monday.