Well this is pretty cool tech. Basically some German scientists have developed a machine/software that can identify the sugar content of grapes using the various optical properties related to sugar levels, and then sort them correctly for wine production.
Swapping stainless for concrete?
If you have been following our blog, you should have seen the post we put up earlier about natural wine. As a follow up, a new trend (or maybe anti-trend, it's so hipster) has been to use porous concrete wine vats, instead of the traditional stainless steel.
EU wine shortage set to help Australian exports.
Advancing the frontline against Brett
In the fight against Brett, winemakers need to have access to the best technology possible. For many years now, the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) has been developing cutting edge technology, and engaging in 'on the ground' communications work to bring this technology to Australian producers.
The scourge of Brettanomyces and the need for sanitising.
Over the past few years Brettanomyces or Dekkera (Brett for short) have been spreading rapidly throughout wineries in Australia causing much unwanted wine taint, specifically in the form of volatile phenols or ‘sweaty leather’. Brett yeasts are a natural component of the winemaking process, which makes it almost impossible to eliminate completely and unsurprisingly they find themselves in winery air, on cellar walls, drains, pumps, transfer lines and other pieces of equipment.
Biofilms - the reason you should care about protein stains.
This summary of the paper 'Adhesion and biofilm production by wine isolates of Brettanomyces bruxellensis' from Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis outlines some interesting points about the formation of biofilms and how they can lead to Brettanomyces infestations.
One for you, and one for your cat
'Natural' vs 'Conventional' wine. Which is best?
Australia set for a 50% wine import boost in China
I'll have a glass of Grange thanks. Yep, just a glass.
One of the coolest ideas going around is the Corvain, and it aims to change the way restaurants serve and we drink specialty wine. It's basically a contraption that allows you to extract a small amount of wine without taking out the cork, meaning wines that up until now had to be served only by the bottle, can now be offered by the glass. Can't wait to try them all now!