Weather & Climate Impact
There are a wide range of challenges in this section and some solid practical advice on how to best handle them.
The bushfires of 2019 that ravaged areas of Australia revealed a knowledge gap in regard to the impact of smoke in vineyards. The AWRI has been active in working to construct better tools to enable growers and winemakers to better deal with the impacts of smoke and ensure the best outcome in the unlikely event that fruit is affected by smoke.
The Riverland has suffered frost damage in the past, and often the challenge of dealing with this impact can seem daunting at first. There is good practical information about dealing with frost, heat and fires in this section.
Fire and Smoke Assessment (home page, Wine Australia)
https://www.wineaustralia.com/fireandsmokeassessment
Practical
Arming Against Frost (fact sheet)
https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/6740ada2-1be7-4e3e-b002-d5f35ae52ba7/201009-Arming-against-frost.pdf
Sunscreen for winegrapes: a demonstration trial (fact sheet)
https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/77df1eb2-63f8-491b-aaa5-783461ceb7a4/201411-Sunscreen-for-winegrapes.pdf
Can we protect grapes and vines with sunscreen (Powerpoint presentation)
https://www.awri.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/sunscreens.pdf
Managing vines during heatwaves (fact sheet)
https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/90cf20af-1579-462d-b06e-35f343cbe129/201201_Managing-vines-during-heatwaves.pdf
Flooded Vineyards: case studies
https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/4ddeda8b-d142-4b01-8ead-5ef41ca55ed4/2012-flooded-vineyard-case-studies.pdf
Communication process for reducing smoke taint in grapes (PIRSA website)
https://www.pir.sa.gov.au/primary_industry/crops_and_pastures/comm_process_for_reducing_smoke_taint
Effects of hot and dry conditions (AWRI Q&A)
https://www.awri.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/s1691.pdf
Technical
Smoke Taint – Technical resources (AWRI) – many links
https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/smoke-taint/
Sensory impact of smoke exposure (AWRI fact sheet)
https://www.awri.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Sensory-impact-of-smoke-exposure.pdf