The focus of the March-April issue of the Wine & Viticulture Journal is ‘Post Bottling Wine Quality’.

Our coverage begins with regular writer Erika Syzmanski looking at the research going on around the world to improve our knowledge of how sulfur compounds emerge and develop after bottling. We then have a team of researchers from The University of Adelaide reporting on their studies into how smoke taint evolves after ageing. Their analyses were performed at six months and now six years after bottling.

Peter Godden, from the Australian Wine Research Institute, describes the outcomes of a small-scale winemaking trial into the effect of sooty mould-affected fruit on the composition of wine and its sensory attributes which has revealed surprising results. A team of Italian researchers provide details of their studies into limiting the formation of light-struck taste by using yeasts, while the AWRI’s regular report looks at some of the findings from its research project into what causes green flavours in red wine.

Over in Viticulture, there’s a distinct focus on pests and diseases, beginning with Tony Hoare’s look at the practicalities of replanting to rootstocks. Complementing this article is WVJ editor Sonya Logan’s exploration as to why the Australian wine industry lags significantly behind the rest of the world when it comes the percentage of its vines on rootstocks.

CSIRO researchers provide an update on the new white winegrape cultivars they’ve been breeding to deliver resistance to powdery mildew and downy mildew. Readers can also learn about the biosecurity research being undertaken in the United States to provide contingency plans for the Australian wine industry in the event of an incursion of angular leaf scorch.

Speaking of the US, our March-April issue also includes a wrap up of last year’s 8th International Workshop on Grapevine Downy and Powdery Mildew held in Oregon where researchers from Australia and around the world revealed what they have learned recently about these two diseases.