The Wine Victoria Bushfire Technical Response Program aims to undertake the delivery of a package of technical support activities for Victorian wine and grape producers affected by exposure to bushfire smoke during the 2019-20 growing season.
While there is a focus on wine regions directly affected by smoke, the program seeks to deliver state-wide benefits where possible.
Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes has announced funding of $990,000 to support a program delivered in partnership with Wine Victoria that will help producers assess and remediate the effects of smoke exposure on wines being made from this year’s harvest.
The program will include:
- Immediate support activities
- Winemaking remediation trials
- Sensory tasting panels
- Regional smoke taint sensory workshops
- Wine benchmarking test kits
- Independent third party sensory testing
Longer term support activities:
- Establishment of control value for Victorian specific regionally important grape varieties
- Linking smoke exposure analysis to sensory impacts in wines
- Cross validation of data between participating laboratories
- Debriefing sessions with Regional Wine Associations
The program will be rolled out immediately and run until September 2021.
A Project Reference Group made up of the Victorian Government, Wine Victoria and representatives from affected wine regions will oversee the program. The Reference Group had their initial meeting on Thursday 28 May at which they approved the appointment of the AWRI to deliver the program.
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