| The Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference is owned and conducted by the Australian wine industry. The conference is held on a triennial basis for the benefit of the Australian wine and grape industry, and is an important contributor to this industry's excellence and competitive advantage. First held in 1970, this is the premier technical wine conference held in Australia, and will attract in excess of 1,700 delegates. |  |
News
15/02/2008 - Conference proceedings now available
The Proceedings of the Thirteenth Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference were despatched to Conference delegates this week. Delegates will receive a printed copy and a copy on CD. Any person who registered to attend the Conference who has not received their proceedings by the end of February should contact the Conference Secretariat; or tel: +61 (0)8 8303 6600.Anyone wishing to purchase a copy of the Proceedings should contact the Conference Secretariat.
09/08/2007 - Conference presentations available via CD and DVD
Miss a session? Need to review what was presented? All sessions from the 13th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference were recorded and are available on DVD, Audio CD or in MP3 format. These high quality recordings are now available for order securely online. For more information, please email CMS Australia. Please note: orders will be delivered within 3-4 business days.16/07/2007 - Conference delegates can view posters via the website
We understand that there is so much happening at the 13AWITC, that it is difficult to get around to view all of the posters. This year there will be 285 on show, the largest number on display for the grape and wine industry. People who have registered to attend the conference can obtain the username/password to view these posters online. These posters will remain available online until the conference proceedings are issued. Contact the Conference Secretariat for the username/password.11/07/2007 - 27 Workshops still have places available
Workshop places are still available in the following workshops:Of interest to grapegrowers:
W01 Grape and wine flavour
W08 and W50 Tannin and other phenolics in grapes and wine
W11 E-commerce for viticulture
W24 Practical advice on choosing rootstocks
W31 Reducing pesticide use in viticulture
W42 Multi-variate analysis: applications in the grape and wine industry
W43 Using some new (and old) technologies to rationalise vineyard management and winegrape pricing
W53 New clonal and varietal development in Australia and France
Of interest to winemakers:
W03 and W46 A-Z of labelling for domestic and export marketplace
W05 How oak casks can be used in winemaking to influence quality & style
W08 and W50 Tannin and other phenolics in grapes and wine
W13 White wine colour: how to measure it and what the data mean
W25 Screwcaps for small winemakers
W42 Multi-variate analysis: applications in the grape and wine industry
W48 Sensory evaluation methods
W49 Dealing with high wine alcohol
General interest
W02 Applications of spectroscopy: from laboratory to consumer
W06 and W52 Process improvements for profitability
W12 Environmental monitoring: rapid analytical methods
W14 The pros and cons to health of wine consumption
W27 The relevance and future of the Australian wine show
W32 Legal perspectives of the impacts of climate change on the wine industry
W38 Traceability
W44 How to build a successful spectroscopic calibration
W56 Wine and music: mysterious resonances
Click here to view the details of the available workshops.
08/06/2007 - Minister for the River Murray and Water Security confirmed presenter
The Hon. Karlene Maywald, MP, Minister for the River Murray and Minister for Water Security, in South Australia, has confirmed she will give a presentation to delegates on Sunday, 29 July on the essential topic of water availability.07/06/2007 - Workshop program well underway
We are well on the way to delivering our most exciting workshop program ever! No matter where your interests lie, you will find practical, interactive and illuminating workshops to add the finishing touch to your conference experience.Details about all the workshops can be found here, but we also have updates from some of our convenors as their programs continue to be developed:
W32 - Legal perspectives on the impacts of climate change on the wine industry will now feature a tasting led by wine writer Max Allen. The tasting will examine effects of changing picking dates, the influence of extreme weather, as well as showcasing varieties that may be suited to a changing Australian climate.
W56/57 - Wine and music: mysterious resonances is set to become the cult hit of the workshop program! Don't miss out on the chance to discover the mysterious interactions between a wine and its environment. Expect to have your perceptions about tasting wine challenged. Clark Smith has run this workshop many times in the US - but this will be the first time it is presented in Australia.
W02 - Applications of spectroscopy: from laboratory to the consumer will include presentations from industry practitioners who are already using spectroscopy in their day-to-day activities, as well as a glimpse into future possibilities that are just over the horizon, such as following wine fermentations, identifying yeast strains and monitoring fungal infection of grapes. This workshop is not just of interest to large companies with big budgets for laboratory hardware - using spectroscopy can often save you money.
W18 - Benchmarking will feature the first public reporting of the GWRDC pilot research on the AHA viticulture benchmarking system. It will also include reporting on measuring and managing winegrape qualities for desired wines and enterprise profits. The benefits of web-based systems with both vineyard and cellar door applications will be discussed and an overall look at financial benchmarking of Australian winemaking will be presented. The workshop will end with a look to the future: economic, environmental and social indicators of the industry's sustainability. A must for anyone involved in wine business in our ever more competitive world.
W42 - Multi-variate analysis: applications in the grape and wine industry will show you how to unlock the secrets that are hidden deep within your data. If you are going to spend time and money collecting data (from the vineyard, in the lab or from your sensory panel), make sure you are discovering all the messages it contains.
W03/46 - A-Z of labelling for the domestic and export marketplace will provide up to the minute information on wine labelling requirements and opportunities. It will include information on FSANZ's proposed new Standard for making health-related claims on labels, which is particularly relevant to claims about carbohydrates and wine-derived phenolic compounds. The impact of the almost-finalised agreement between Australia and the EU will be explored - and participants will receive advance notice of the phase out dates for terms like port and sherry, as well as the new names which will replace them. Participants will also learn about the significant potential savings in labelling costs resulting from the recently-signed World Wine Trade Group agreement. Finally, participants will have the opportunity to bring along one of their own labels for group analysis and discussion.
W14 - The pros and cons to health from wine consumption will focus on the review currently underway of NHMRC's Australian Alcohol Guidelines (originally published in 2001). New literature will be reviewed, including topics on alcohol consumption patterns, alcohol and pregnancy, and associations between alcohol and certain cancers. Proposed revisions to the guidelines will be debated in this workshop, and participants will be able to provide comments.
W38 - Traceability covers topics that are becoming increasingly important as retailers seek assurances that health and safety standards have been maintained throughout the supply chain. Demands on producers and exporters are only set to grow as markets become more aware. The workshop will cover traceability issues in the vineyard, through transport and beyond. It will include case studies from both the wine and meat industries, as well as modules on crisis management and minimising risk exposure.
W43 - Using some new (and old) technology to rationalise vineyard management & wine grape pricing Presented by Dr Richard Smart, this workshop aims to tackle 'the holy grail of the wine business'. Compared to other commodities, winegrapes are very poorly categorised at the point of sale as to their suitability for wine style and quality. While weight and elementary grape composition might suit some producers as sufficient definition, today's increasingly sophisticated wine market demands more. This workshop asks the question: 'Do we have the means to assign appropriate values to winegrapes?' Dr Richard Smart and the expert panel of Australian and international speakers will come to grips with definitions of quality in vineyards, in their management, and in the grapes they produce. The speakers come from France, USA, New Zealand and Australia and will cover a range of topics related to the issue. As the title suggests, the program will look at cutting edge technologies and some so old that they are no longer thought about, but all have a place in answering the most vexed of questions 'What are my grapes worth? ' and 'How can I make them worth more?'
W11 - E-Commerce for Viticulture aims to address the following questions:
What are the considerations of a winery when implementing a viticulture supply chain management solution?
How have wineries and growers worked together to develop VineAccess?
What have wineries and growers actually been trialling with this system?
Who are the stakeholders involved in these trials?
What sort of planning is involved in implementing a new IT system?
What is the difference between a desktop application and an online one?
What efficiencies can be gained by implementing an online system?
Developed with the input of major industry players, VineAccess is an award winning web-based solution for managing the information flow between wineries and growers. Developed by Morton Blacketer, an expert in new systems development, Workshop 11 will introduce the capabilities and efficiencies gained through collecting, analysing and reporting on viticulture information online. Find out about vintage trials of wineries implementing online communications with growers, the hurdles, benefits and potential identified and experienced by each party.
With international pressures of traceability, reducing your carbon footprint, implementing paperless offices…this workshop will introduce you to how leading edge technologies can help to address these issues.
Register soon to give yourself the best chance of attending your preferred workshops!
04/06/2007 - 16 of the 57 Workshops now sold out
The following workshops are now sold out:W09 Pinot research and pinot passion (1)
W10 The power of yeast in influencing wine flavour and quality
W15 Measuring key indicators of grape quality (2)
W19 Nitrogen: friend or foe? (Nitrogen nutrition and wine quality)
W21 Winemaking with non-conventional yeast (1)
W23 Flowering and fruitset
W29 Winemaking with non-conventional yeast (2)
W33 Practical wine microbiology
W34 Managing vine nutritional requirements
W35 Maximising natural biological control of pests and diseases in vineyards
W37 Irrigating in variable environments
W39 Deciding on harvest date
W40 Pinot research and pinot passion (2)
W41 Got MLF?
W50 Tannin and other phenolics in grapes and wine (2)
W54 Integrated soil management
Click here to view the details of the available workshops.
31/05/2007 - Amcor confirmed as Conference Sponsor
The Thirteenth Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference is delighted to announce today Amcor Fibre Packaging as its major conference sponsor.07/05/2007 - Workshop 34 sold out
Workshop 34 - Managing vine nutritional requirements is now fully subscribed, and no further bookings for this workshop can be taken.More than 1,100 delegates have registered to attend the conference to date.
23/04/2007 - Early registration discount closes soon!
The Early Registration discount applies to all registrations received by close of business this Friday, 27 April. No discount is available to registrations received after this date.02/04/2007 - Record number of poster abstracts received!
A record number of 280 poster abstracts have been received for display at the Thirteenth Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference (28 July to 1 August 2007). No further abstracts can be received due to space limitations. Poster enquiries can be made to: Eveline Bartowsky at the AWRI (eveline.bartowsky@awri.com.au).14/02/2007 - Registration now open for Thirteenth Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference
Registrations are now being accepted for the Thirteenth Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference and the Fourth Australian Wine Industry Environment Conference. Full details of the 13AWITC program can be found here. Full details of the 4AWIEC program can be found here.You can register for these conferences by:
(i) contacting the Conference Secretariat and requesting a copy of the registration brochure.
(ii) registering on-line through a secure site; or
(iii) by downloading a copy of the registration form, completing it and forwarding it by fax or mail.
22/11/2006 - Registration for the 13th Conference
Nineteen thousand registration brochures are planned to be distributed around Australia and overseas, during February 2007, for the Thirteenth Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference (13AWITC). The Conference and associated trade exhibition (WineTech 2007), will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre in South Australia from 28 July to 2 August 2007. For your copy of the registration brochure contact Kate Beames (e: kate.beames@awitc.com.au)The eight formal sessions and three colloquia feature 36 Australian speakers and 18 international speakers from countries such as US, Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and South Africa.
Whilst the program covers a wide range of industry issues from the vineyard through to the consumer, it does have a focus on the environment and climate change. Full details of the program can be found here.
For the first time, the 13AWITC and the Fourth Australian Wine Industry Environment Conference will align their events, with the Environment Conference being held on the Thursday, 2 August. Further information can be found at: www.winesa.asn.au/content/40.
Presentations on environment and climate change issues will be given with Dr Peter Hayman's (SARDI) presentation entitled Climate change - consequences for the wine industry on Sunday, 29 July. Peter further participates in a three hour colloquium on climate change as Chairman, coordinated by Dr Richard Smart (Smart Viticulture) and Russell Johnstone (Orlando Wines), to be held on Monday, 30 July. Sponsored by the Thomas Walter Hardy Memorial Trust, presentations in this colloquium will be given by Dr Richard Smart (Smart Viticulture), Dr Penny Whetton (CSIRO Division Marine and Atmospheric Sciences), Dr Greg Jones (Southern Oregon University, USA), Dr Leanne Webb (CSIRO/University of Melbourne), Dr Stuart McNab (Foster's Wine Estates), David Pearce (The New Zealand Wine Company, NZ) and Professor Snow Barlow (University of Melbourne).
The workshop program has developed into 57 workshops over six days (from Saturday, 28 July through to Thursday, 2 August 2007), giving 2,300 places. Details of the program will be released shortly.
21/11/2006 - Sales to WineTech 2007 going strongly
A briefing to companies who have contracted space, or who are contemplating contracted space, at WineTech - the Australian Wine Industry Trade Exhibition, was given on 16 November at the Adelaide Convention Centre.With more than 75% of the floor plan allocated, WineTech 2007 - The Australian Wine Industry Trade Exhibition is shaping up to be Australia's largest and most successful wine industry exhibition ever. Held every three years, in association with the Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference, WineTech 2007 will be held from 29 July to 1 August, 2007.
A slew of major companies have recently signed up for WineTech 2007 including Aggreko, Gregoire, Oenobev, UR Machinery, Winemaking Supplies and Services, and Winequip. They join significant players like Pellenc, SEW Eurodrive, Oeneo, Zork, JMA Engineering, JB Macmahon, Procork, Southern Cross Cooperage, World Cooperage, Cork Supply, and F Miller & Co.
'With so many important players having signed up, WineTech 2007 is well on the way to becoming the definitive exhibition for the wine sector,' said John Gorton, Director, Industrial Exhibitions at Reed Exhibitions. 'We urge anyone who is interested in exhibiting at the show, but has not yet booked a stand, to get in contact with us as soon as possible.'
Interested parties can contact Frank Matus (t: 02 9422 2562, e: frank.matus@reedexhibitions.com.au).
Further information on the 13AWITC can be obtained from Conference Manager, Rae Blair (t: 08 8303 6838, e: rae.blair@awitc.com.au).