The Australian Wine Research Institute

Tailored regional research, development, adoption and extension through regional nodes – Victorian node

Project summary

This project delivers high quality extension and practice change services to the wine-grape growers and wineries located in Victoria through a partnership between Wine Victoria (WV), the Murray Valley Winegrowers (MVW), Wine Australia, the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) and the AWRI. The project activities are overseen by a Victorian Winegrowers Liaison Committee, which agrees on an annual workplan of activities under funding from DEDJTR and Wine Australia’s regional program.

Latest information

The establishment of the Wine Ministerial Advisory Committee in Victoria, and involvement of the AWRI Victorian node, has been integral in the development of a new Victorian wine industry strategy, focusing on all facets of the value chain, regulatory issues, tourism, trade, research, development and extension, and the establishment of the wine growth fund. The new strategy will be publicly released later in 2016.

In 2015/2016 the key outcomes for the Victorian node included the delivery of 11 unique extension events across Victoria, over and above the AWRI’s existing national roadshow seminar and workshop program. These extension activities were delivered in partnership with Wine Victoria and the regional grape and wine industry associations across Victoria.

The Victorian node has also been active in securing additional funding for smoke taint research through the Rural R&D for Profit program in collaboration with the DEDJTR/Agriculture Victoria and Wine Australia. This project aims to build on past research programs within the AWRI and DEDJTR to develop improved risk assessment, mitigation and amelioration tools to assist the wine industry to better deal with smoke taint.