Oenology Paper of the Year winner Dr Martin Moran. Image courtesy ASVO

The Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology (ASVO) have announced the Awards for Excellence winners for 2021 which included three research awards.

• Dr Peter May Award – Dr Meg Whitener, Bell’s Brewery
• Viticulture research paper – Dr Marcos Bonada, PIRSA-SARDI
• Oenology research paper – Dr Martin Moran, Mordrelle Wines

The Dr Peter May Award was introduced in 2018 to honour the late Dr Peter May who was the foundational editor of the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research (AJGWR).

The award is presented to the author of the most cited original research paper published in the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research in the previous five years. Dr Meg Whitener, from Bell’s Brewery, Michigan, was awarded this honour for 2021.

Dr Whitener’s paper, ‘Effect of non-Saccharomyces yeasts on the volatile chemical profile of Shiraz wine’ doi.org/10.1111/ajgw.12269, was published in the AJGWR in 2017.

The paper reports the results of an investigation into the impact that the non-Saccharomyces yeasts in sequential inoculation with Saccharomyces Cerevisiae had on the volatile chemical profile of Shiraz wine.

The Viticulture and Oenology research papers of the year are conferred annually to authors of exceptional research articles published in the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research.

The winners are selected by committees of industry experts based on the potential impact of the research viticultural or oenological practices in Australia. The research paper awards are sponsored by Wiley.

The Viticulture Paper of the Year was awarded to Dr Marcos Bonada, from the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, South Australian Research and Development Institute (PIRSA-SARDI), and was titled: ‘Impact of low rainfall during dormancy on vine productivity and development’ doi.org/10.1111/ajgw.12445

The award selection committee said that understanding the impact that rainfall has on vine productivity is important and that the paper highlighted the importance that soil moisture has in determining the timing of budburst and the vines’ ability to sustain crops.

A spokesperson for the ASVO said the impact this paper has for the industry is significant as the paper not only answered some questions viticulturists have but at the same time highlighted what they do not know.

The Oenology Paper of the Year was awarded to Dr Martin Moran, from Mordrelle Wines, for the paper: ‘Impact of late pruning and elevated ambient temperature on Shiraz wine chemical and sensory attributes’ doi.org/10.1111/ajgw.12470

The awards selection committee said Moran’s paper was selected by because it demonstrated that late pruning is effective in a warming climate at delaying harvest and reducing vintage compression, while improving wine quality.

This is the first study of the impact on wine chemical and sensory attributes when using this practice.

With climate change and increasing temperature, late pruning may be a good method to adapt in the short-medium term so looking at the impact this will have on the wine is critical. The ASVO hoped this is the first of more studies focused on how viticultural methods used to adapt to climate change will impact on wine.

The full list of ASVO Award categories and winners are as follows:

• ASVO Viticulturist of the year Ben Harris, Wynns Coonawarra Estate
• ASVO Winemaker of the Year Alex Cassegrain, Cassegrain Wines
• ASVO Viticulture Paper of the Year Dr Marcos Bonada, PIRSA-SARDI
• ASVO Oenology Paper of the Year Dr Martin Moran, Mordrelle Wines
• ASVO Dr Peter May Award Dr Meg Whitener, Bell’s Brewery, Michigan

ASVO Award recipients are nominated by ASVO-appointed selection committees comprised of individuals who themselves are distinguished in the fields of viticulture and oenology and who demonstrate exceptional leadership ability and vision.

For a list of previous ASVO Awards winners, please visit https://www.asvo.com.au/asvo-awards-for-excellence/award-winners/

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