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The primary objectives of this CRC-P is to establish the Australian wine sector as the largest global producer of lifestyle (NoLo) wines, and the number one exporter of wines in this category to the US, Europe, South East Asia and the Middle East. This will achieve growth in global sales, safeguarding the long-term economic viability of the Australian wine industry, while also helping consumers that may be drinking at risky levels to reduce their overall alcohol consumption. These objectives will be met by industry-directed research and product development outcomes in the four key sub-projects.
The research grant to the value of $2,997,599 along with a partner contribution to the value of $3,706,753 (in cash and in-kind) will allow Australian Vintage and key industry partners to continue to pursue the vision for the Australian wine sector to be a leading global producer of ‘lifestyle wines’ – wines lower in alcohol and calories than traditional wines.
Australian Vintage are one of Australia’s largest wine producers, with some of world’s most technologically advanced winemaking facilities. The company’s early adoption and investment in winery technologies, including a recent investment in a second Flavourtech Spinning Cone Column® (SCC) has positioned Australian Vintage at the forefront of NOLO winemaking, thus ensuring our winemaking and innovation remains world leading.
Australian Vintage have worked to perfect its NOLO alcohol program and have seen this expertise receive international recognition and awards. With the NOLO trend continuing to accelerate in recent years, the company has been committed to continual investment and growth of this category. It’s technical expertise, experience and specialised equipment have positioned Australian Vintage to be well-equipped to lead this CRC-P.
This CRC-P brings together an outstanding team of prominent industry partners and researchers with a shared vision, and will leverage off the critical mass of infrastructure, resources and research capabilities of the Project Team to advance the NoLo category for the Australian wine sector.
World leader in agriculture, food and wine education and research, the University of Adelaide’s expertise spans the entire wine and grape lifecycle – from viticulture and sensory studies through to business efficiencies. The University of Adelaide is home to the world’s first trial-scale NOLO wine research facility, based at its Waite campus. This industry-leading project is backed by the Government of South Australia. In partnership with the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, and the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), the University of Adelaide aims to advance the NOLO specialist workforce, allowing the industry to capitalise on significant market opportunities.
Australian Wine Research Institute is one of the world’s leading grape and wine R&D organisations supporting a sustainable and prosperous grape and wine industry through world-class research, practical solutions and knowledge transfer.
Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) is one of the world’s leading luxury and premium wine companies and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. TWE’s global, multi-regional sourcing model includes world class vineyard and production assets in internationally acclaimed winemaking regions including Barossa Valley and Coonawarra in Australia, the United States, New Zealand, France, and Italy. TWE’s global portfolio is available in more than 70 countries and includes luxury and premium brands such as Penfolds, DAOU Vineyards, 19 Crimes, Pepperjack, Squealing Pig, Wynns, Matua, Beaulieu Vineyard, and Frank Family Vineyards.
Flavourtech are world leaders in the design and manufacture of thin-film, spinning cone technologies for producing premium aroma, extracts and concentrates. Headquartered in Australia, they pioneered dealcoholisation technologies nearly 40 years ago with their Spinning Cone Column (SCC) now considered the technology of choice for alcohol removal from wine. The SCC offers several benefits to the wine industry, particularly in terms of flavour/colour retention and the ability to process liquids containing suspended solids. Recent updates include the ability to produce wine-based products at <0.05% ABV without external flavours using the Resin Adsorbing Column (RAC) and the delivery of alcohol output concentrations of >90% ABV.
Independent not-for-profit social change organisation dedicated to helping transform the Australian drinking culture to one that is safer and healthier in order to reduce alcohol-related harm. DrinkWise evidence-based national education campaigns and whole-of-community partnerships assist Australians to make responsible and informed decisions about alcohol consumption.
Tarac are key suppliers of products and services to the Australian wine industry since 1930. Tarac is committed to supporting industry growth in new and established markets, based on a principle of partnership and sustainable practices.
Since 1849, the Hill-Smith Family has been planting vineyards and crafting quality wine. Each generation has been pioneering and innovative, leading Hill-Smith Family Estates to where it is today; a six-generation family fine wine company integrated through vine cultivation, wine growing, winemaking and global distribution.
Lallemand, a subsidary of Danstar Ferment AG, develops, produces, and markets yeast, bacteria and fungi products and their derivatives, with the aim of optimizing a growing number of natural processes in agri-food, and notably in the fermented beverage sector. Through its subsidiary, the Institut Oenologique de Champagne (IOC), Lallemand also develops non-microbial solutions to enhance wine quality, in terms of aromas and flavours, and stability with tannins, stabilizing and fining agents (chemicals and bio-sources).
Mauri Yeast Australia Pty Ltd (trading as AB Biotek) is a producer of yeast and provider of associated technologies and integrated fermentation solutions to the global alcohol beverages, bioethanol, animal nutrition and human nutrition & health markets. We deliver proven industry relevant solutions and targeted innovation backed up by a level of customer technical support that creates unique value for our clients’ businesses
Novonesis is a global company leading the era of biosolutions. By leveraging the power of microbiology with science, we are transforming the way the world produces, consumes and lives. In more than 30 industries, our biosolutions are already creating value for thousands of customers and benefiting the planet. Our 10,000 people worldwide work closely with our partners and customers to transform business with biology. Let’s better our world with biology.
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Bioengineering: Improving microbial stability and extending shelf-life. NOLO wines inherently lack a key preservative exploited in wine production – ethanol. This results in spoilage susceptibility and shorter shelf-life. The ability of unique yeast/bacterial strains to overproduce desirable volatiles to improve aroma longevity or inhibit the growth of spoilage microorganisms to extend shelf-life will be evaluated, along with strategies that safeguard the microbial stability of NOLO wines.
Flavour: Replacing what is lost during alcohol removal. Removing ethanol from wine not only removes important aroma compounds, it perturbs the chemistry of those that remain. Dealcoholisation trials will optimise ethanol extraction and flavour capture and re-use. Concurrently, strategies employed in the food and beverage sectors to enhance flavour longevity and stability will be evaluated in NOLO wines; monoterpene-rich marc extracts have already shown promise in positively modulating NOLO wine flavour in pilot trials.
Mouthfeel: Restoring ‘body’. In traditional wines, ethanol provides texture, viscosity and body. These characters are essential to making NOLO wines that more closely replicate the wine-drinking experience – a key priority for consumers seeking NOLO wine products. Novel additives will be used to restore mouthfeel, including functional products already in use in food and beverage industries.
Marketing: Driving image, quality and market growth. Barriers and activators for the adoption and consumption of NOLO wines by consumers in domestic and export markets need to be identified to support the development of marketing strategies that enhance the image and sale of NOLO wines.
We are proud to share the latest research article published by the University of Adelaide and the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), as a result of our collaboration on the Australian Lifestyle Wines Research Project. The article titled “Exploring Consumers’ Drinking Behaviour Regarding No-, Low-, and Mid-Alcohol Wines: A Systematic Scoping Review and Guiding Framework,”…