Test your limits! Determine your own threshold for important wine flavour compounds
Have you ever wanted to know how sensitive you are at detecting Brett flavour, cork-taint or volatile acidity, compared to your colleagues, friends, other winemakers and the general population? Well now is your opportunity to find out!
It’s well known that people vary substantially in their ability to detect different flavour and aroma compounds due to genetic differences of the olfactory system. Some people will be highly sensitive to sulfides but not be able to detect Brett flavour, for example. For a winemaker, when screening barrels or tanks for the presence of taints and faults, it is extremely important that the taster is sensitive and able to detect the particular compound.
This workshop will expand on previous sensory courses offered by the AWRI. This workshop has been designed to showcase a range of common winemaking taints and faults, and topical positive aroma compounds. Several tastings will allow you to recognize and identify these compounds and learn how they can occur in wine. You will then have the unique opportunity to determine your own sensitivity to up to six of these compounds added to a wine base. Threshold testing will be conducted confidentially in a specialised sensory testing facility. This will enable a realistic threshold to be determined for you for each of these compounds enabling you to better understand your own sensory strengths and weaknesses. This will allow you to utilise, balance or correct for these abilities in your wine career.
Trouble free winemaking – avoidance and management of common wine instabilities
This workshop provides an overview of the most common winemaking faults and instabilities encountered throughout the winemaking process. Participants are guided through a series of simple diagnostic tests that can be used in any wine laboratory to aid in the identification of crystalline, microbiological, amorphous and other types of hazes and deposits. A range of wines displaying common wine taints and faults are also tasted to educate winemakers of their sensory descriptors and their individual sensitivities. The workshop focuses on prevention of these types of wine faults and instabilities, and details critical aspects of winemaking quality control. Participants are also guided through the AWRI online Hazes and Deposits manual which has been designed to assist winemakers in identifying hazes and deposits in the winery.
Trouble free winemaking – managing wine instabilities, understanding and managing nitrogen and identifying wine faults
This workshop provides an overview of the most common winemaking faults and instabilities encountered throughout the winemaking process, with particular focus on prevention through winemaking quality control measures. A range of wines displaying common wine taints and faults are tasted to educate winemakers of their sensory descriptors and their individual sensitivities.
This workshop also focuses on nitrogen management for optimal fermentation. There is a demonstration of Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen (YAN) analysis on grape and juice samples with information on how to interpret results. A practical exercise details a diagnostic test to identify the type of reductive characters that present in wine and provides appropriate treatment options. Factors related to the development of reductive characters in wine after bottling are also discussed.
Trouble free winemaking – managing wine instabilities, identifying wine faults and quantifying grape colour and tannin
This workshop provides an overview of the most common winemaking faults and instabilities encountered throughout the winemaking process, with particular focus on prevention through winemaking quality control measures. A range of wines displaying common wine taints and faults are tasted to educate winemakers of their sensory descriptors and their individual sensitivities.
This workshop also focuses on red grape colour measurement. Participants will perform the measurements during practical exercises. There is also a demonstration of a simple tannin assay.
The avoidance of taints and chemical instabilities
Wine taints and chemical instabilities are two big issues currently facing winemakers. This workshop provides an overview of the most common taints and chemical instabilities currently encountered in the wine industry, with particular reference to those that originate from wine additives and processing aids. In this workshop, participants will be able to determine personal sensitivity to various taints by tasting wines that have been spiked with the major taint compounds, as well as authentically tainted wines. In addition, participants will learn several techniques to screen wine additives and processing aids for the presence of taints.
This workshop is particularly aimed at winery technical staff – both winemakers and laboratory personnel, but would also be useful for industry suppliers of wine additives and processing aids.
This workshop is supported with the following web based material:
- Recognition of taints and faults
- Screening tests for commonly used winemaking chemicals and processing aids
- Reference list of relevant papers
Brettanomyces – latest research and control strategies
Microscopy and applications
Microscopy can be a valuable tool for a winemaker. This workshop gives a general explanation of microscopy and details the different types of microscopes available including stereomicroscopy, phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy. Microscopes can be used for much more than just yeast and bacteria cell counts during vintage. They can assist with identifying hazes and deposits found in wine and for checking sterility of packaged wine. A general explanation of microscopy, its operation, and calibration and maintenance of microscopes are detailed through demonstrations and practical exercises.