Viticulture and Oenology Commons^™

Preparing For A Changing And Variable Climate, Glynn Ward

Research Reports

Climate change has the potential to reshape the Australian wine industry. Regions will be differentially impacted and will respond according to their unique viticultural, environmental, economic and social characteristics. An industry forum and regional workshop series was held in Western Australia focusing on three wine regions: Margaret River, Pemberton and Mount Barker. Fine scale climate information (mesoscale maps) and overviews of current and emerging technologies and resources that can be used by the wine industry to plan for and manage the risks and opportunities resulting from a changing and variable climate were presented. The information indicated that the wine regions …

Developing An Environmental Management System (Ems) For Viticulture, Catherine Nind

Agriculture reports

This guidebook outlines one approach that may be used to develop an Environmental Management System (EMS) for a vineyard. The system described in this guidebook facilitates a continual improvement in environmental management and can be used to demonstrate a commitment to responsible land management. The system is generally consistent with the requirements of ISO 14001: the internationally accepted standard for an EMS.

African Black Beetle In Vineyards, Diana Fisher, Stewart Learmonth

Bulletins 4000 -

The African black beetle, Heteronychus arator, is an important pest of horticultural crops, ornamentals and pastures in Western Australia. They also attack lawns and are commonly referred to as the black lawn beetle. This beetle was first recorded in Australia during the 1920s and originates from southern Africa where it is a major establishment pest of maize.

Organic Grapes And Wine : A Guide To Production, Gerry Parlevliet, Steven Mccoy

Bulletins 4000 -

The tastebuds, health concerns and environmental conscience of affluent consumers are demanding more organically grown food than producers worldwide can supply. Growing consumer concerns about the effects of synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilisers on human health and the environment have boosted world trade in organic products by a rate of about 20-30 per cent a year for the past 10 years. World trade was estimated to be worth $US 21.6 billion in 2000 and is expected to reach US$100 billion by the year 2006.

The Australian market for organic products alone is valued at $200-$250 million - with exports estimated …

Social And Economic Data For Regional And Natural Resource Management In Western Australia's South West Catchment : Results Of The 2006 Landholder Survey, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, South West Catchments Council (W.A.), Michael Hanslip, Australia. Bureau Of Rural Sciences.

All other publications

This report presents a summary of the key findings from a mailed survey to 2,000 landholders in the South West Region of Western Australia in 2006. The survey gathered information on the key social and economic factors affecting landholder decision-making about the adoption of practices expected to improve the management of natural resources in the region. The response rate for the survey was 69.4%.

The South West Catchment Council, Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food and the Bureau of Rural Sciences were key project partners. Funding was from a mix of national, state and regional programmes, including the Natural …

Guidelines Of Activities And Costs Of Establishing A Vineyard For Winegrapes, Alex Sas, Roslyn Hanna, Diana Fisher

Viticulture published reports

This document is intended as a starting point for those interested in growing wine grapes and highlights the management techniques, labour requirements, and costs involved with such an enterprise. Budgeting methods are used to determine the profitability of investing in a 10 ha vineyard in the south-west of Western Australia. The document should not be used as a recipe with which to develop a vineyard, but rather as a guide.

Establishing a vineyard involves a large initial investment with no returns until usually three years after planting. Factors such as site selection, environment, seasonal conditions and management, will all affect …

Understanding Fertilisers For Table Grapes, B. H. Goldspink, I. Cameron, J. Campbell-Clause, N. Lantzke, C. Gordon

Viticulture research reports

A course run by the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, August 1995.

The purpose of this publication is to clarify the role fertilisers play in commercial table grape production and to detail methods of selecting fertilisers. This selection process however is not easy as there are over 600 registered fertilisers in Western Australia.

In deciding which is the best fertiliser for a particular property many factors have to be considered. These include:

* Age of vine

* Rootstock

* Variety of table grape

* Soil type

* Soil chemistry

* Irrigation methods

* Previous fertiliser history Previous yield, vigour and …

Miscellaneous Publication 10/94 - The Climate And Soils Of South-Western Australia In Relation To Vine Growing, J. S. Gladstones

Viticulture research reports

The vine industry in Western Australia is at present located mainly in the Swan Valley, some 15 miles inland from Perth. It produces currants for export, wine grapes, and table grapes for both local and export markets, in approximately that order of importance.

Climatically, the Swan Valley is well suited to vine fruit production. With an annual rainfall of about 34 inches, it has a mild, wet, almost frost-free winter, and a warm, dry summer. Olmo (1956) concluded that the Swan was especially well suited to the production of currants, table grapes and sweet dessert wines. However, he considered that …

Land Capability Study For Horticulture In The Swan Valley, J M. Campbell-Clause, Geoff Allan Moore

Land resources series

The Swan Valley is an important agricultural, recreational, tourist and heritage area in which there are a number of competing land uses because of its location close to Perth. The traditional agricultural use, mainly centred around the viticulture industry, has to compete with tourist development, urban encroachment, hobby farms and clay extraction. The major objective of this report was to identify any areas of prime horticultural land which should be retained for that purpose. A land capability study was done using the existing soil series map of the Swan Valley (Pym 1955), which covers most of the Swan Valley Policy …

Composition Of Arkansas Grapes During Maturation, Cameron Jones, Dominic T.C. Yang, Thomas O. Whitley

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Changes in organic acid and glucose content during maturation and ripening of grapes grown in Arkansas in 1973 are shown for four French hybrid varieties, S5279, S10878, SV23- 657, and S13053, and for four rotundifolia varieties, Scuppernong, Tarheel, Fry, and Magoon. In all varieties the concentrations of malates and tartrates were highest in the early stages of berry growth after veraison. During ripening the titratable acidity decreased and Balling and pH measurements increased. Although varieties reached maturity on different dates, changes in parameters followed similar curves typical for grapes of the species but occurring over a short period (Johnson and …

The Function And Use Of Sulphur Dioxide In West Australian Winemaking, D Mann

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE judicious use of sulphur dioxide is perhaps the most important of the fundamentals of winemaking in a hot climate.

Western Australia's vintage, centred in the Swan Valley just a few miles north-east of Perth, is subjected to some of the highest summer temperatures experienced by a quality wine producing district.

In this environment, it is important to make good use of sulphur dioxide to avoid wine spoilage.