The MIA wine industry could be facing a threat without realising it, after a recent study bringing to light wine-grape varieties are suffocating from a shortage of oxygen.
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Griffith wine-grape grower Brian Bortolin was worried about the study - which says this issues is not localised to any specific area or variety of grape.
The life-long grower says it is not something he has heard about before now – and he strongly hopes the study is “wrong.”
“This is a brand new finding and I am not familiar with, but if it is something that will affect us in Griffith and the wider MIA, it is going to be a very serious problem,” Mr Bortolin said.
“I would absolutely love to know more about it - and that way if the issue is here we find a solution fast.
“I hope not - I really hope he is wrong. That is the last thing the industry needs at the moment.”
Researchers have discovered that wine grapes are suffocating from a shortage of oxygen, leading to the cell death in grapes – claiming it’s a problem not only affecting the wine industry but also other fruit and post harvest industries.
Postdoctoral researcher from Charles Sturt University, Zeyu Xiao is working on a solution.
He identified that during ripening, grapes suffer internal oxygen shortage, correlating to changing climates, heat and water access.
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“Cell death is associated to the structure on the stem,” Dr Xiao said.
“We have examined the tiny pores called lenticels, located on the stems of the berries, and found these are important pathways for the berries to take up oxygen.
Dr Xiao said understanding the changing warming climate is also a factor for the ripening of these berries.
“Berries shrivel before harvest and this is a process related to cell death processes,” he said.
“These are both accelerated by water stress and heat.”
Mr Bortolin said growers deliberately stress grapes to meet parameters set by wineries, for example colour and sugar requirements, by cutting back on watering.
He said the MIA sees mainly Shiraz grapes suffering the shriveling effect after stressing.
“Other varieties are not too bad at shriveling, but that’s the only one we have issues here with in our area and in the MIA,” Mr Bortolin said.
While the physiological cause for cell death in the grape berry is unknown, the oxygen concentration in the berries and the structure of the stem is important to finding an answer.
While Dr Xiao is working on a solution, Mr Bortolin hopes if this threat is identified here in the MIA, the fix would soon follow.
“How do we fix it? Is there anything we can work on? Do we work on better irrigation or fertigation, or how do we start work to figure how to make the vine photosynthesis work, because that’s the only way to make it work,” Mr Bortolin said.
“If there is a lack of oxygen that means the leaf is not working, so we need to be able to create something in the vine to stimulate photosynthesis.”
The NSW Department of Primary Industries principal research scientist, Dr Suzy Rogiers said continuing the research is important to better understanding berries.
“It’s an important ramification not just for the wine industry but also other fruit related industries, especially those requiring post harvest storage,” Dr Rogiers said.
The study is being conducted through the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, an alliance between the NSW DPI, CSU and the NSW Wine Industry Association.
