The AWRI

The AWRI The Australian Wine Research Institute. The Australian grape and wine industry’s own research organisation.

Supporting sustainable, practical solutions and knowledge transfer since 1955. Since 1955, Australian winemakers and grapegrowers have been supported with technical innovations and solutions to production problems by The Australian Wine Research Institute. Quality production and business sustainability, globally, are challenged through changes in environment and the economy. Our aim is to facilitate a positive outcome for producers economically, socially and environmentally. The Australian wine industry is the beneficiary of a fully integrated business model delivering technological innovations and competitive advantage - this business model is unique in the wine world. This model is supported with a team of dedicated and highly skilled professionals who have joined the AWRI from over a dozen different countries. The AWRI model combines and integrates world-class research and development, information and knowledge extension and education and commercial services.

🍷 Ever wondered what it's like to judge wine at a wine show.This November, AWRI is heading to Yantai, Shandong, China wi...
14/09/2026

🍷 Ever wondered what it's like to judge wine at a wine show.

This November, AWRI is heading to Yantai, Shandong, China with a hands-on wine sensory course designed to introduce participants to the renowned Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC).

✅ Technical tasting of common wine faults and flavours
✅ Mini wine show-style judging experience
✅ South Australian wine line-up
✅ Insights from experienced AWRI judges and educators
✅ Special guest judge: Fongyee Walker MW

Don't miss this unique opportunity to build your sensory evaluation skills and gain practical wine assessment experience.

Register your interest here: https://forms2.datainteractive.com.au/262430824281857

Grapevine berry inner necrosis virus (GINV) has recently been detected for the first time in Australia, across table gra...
10/09/2026

Grapevine berry inner necrosis virus (GINV) has recently been detected for the first time in Australia, across table grape, wine grape, and rootstock varieties in four states. The virus can cause leaf mottling, delayed budburst, reduced vigour, and uneven ripening — though many infected vines show no symptoms. The impact on Australian wine grape production remains unknown.

This webinar presents what is known about GINV biology, transmission, and management, with practical guidance to help growers make informed decisions.

Join us this Friday as we hear from Fiona Constable, Suzanne McLoughlin, Nick Dry and Anna Hooper.

Register today. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SYfbJXw2Ti2eipmEUarMWA #/registration

This work is supported by Wine Australia, with levies from Australia's grapegrowers and winemakers and matching funds from the Australian Government.

We're pleased to announce the dux of AWAC #66 - from & Kaitlin grew up amongst the vineyards of High Eden Estate and ...
08/09/2026

We're pleased to announce the dux of AWAC #66 - from &

Kaitlin grew up amongst the vineyards of High Eden Estate and started her winemaking journey at 18 years old with a vintage at Peter Lehmann Wines, Barossa Valley in 2017. This is where she discovered her passion for the wine industry and enrolled in the Bachelor of Viticulture & Oenology program at the University of Adelaide. In 2021, she was awarded the Elderton Winemaking Excellence Scholarship and completed Vintage 2024 with Elderton Wines, Barossa Valley under the mentorship of Brock Harrison and Jules Ashmead, returning as Vintage Winemaker in 2025. In 2024 she completed a Bachelor of Viticulture & Oenology and produced the first wine for High Eden Estate, a 2024 Eden Valley Riesling from a small parcel of hand-picked fruit from the Estate Vineyard. In January 2026, she was appointed Assistant Winemaker at Pikes Wines in the Clare Valley and has since completed her first vintage with the Pikes team.

A massive congratulations to Kaitlin!

We're pleased to announce the dux of AWAC #65 - from Treasury Wine Estates.After graduating from the University of Ade...
08/09/2026

We're pleased to announce the dux of AWAC #65 - from Treasury Wine Estates.

After graduating from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology (Honours), she has been lucky to work in wineries across the Barossa, McLaren Vale and the Piedmont, Italy. Throughout her studies, she spent multiple years working in wine retail, which shaped her love for wines of the world. Maya is now employed as an Assistant Winemaker at Treasury Wine Estates, which has allowed her the opportunity to work with fruit from all over Australia and to gain exposure to a multitude of wine styles and winemaking techniques.

A massive congratulations to Maya!

What makes a Barossa Shiraz taste like where it comes from?It's a question that matters to everyone who grows grapes or ...
11/08/2026

What makes a Barossa Shiraz taste like where it comes from?

It's a question that matters to everyone who grows grapes or makes wine in the region. A research collaboration led by Assoc. Prof. Cassandra Collins at Adelaide University — with AWRI, CSU, CSIRO and SARDI — has spent years trying to answer it.

The finding: the Barossa's subregional differences are real. How vines and grapes grow on a site broadly reflect the subregional boundaries the industry has developed over decades.

But when the same data was left to find its own patterns without any reference to those boundaries it grouped sites differently. Grape and wine volatile composition and amino acids drove the natural clusters, with Eden Valley separating clearly from the broader Barossa Valley.

The industry's subregional map captures something meaningful. But terroir may follow a natural continuum that human boundaries don't fully capture.

The model you choose shapes what you find.

Read the full paper via the AWRI Technical Review. https://www.awri.com.au/information_services/technical_review/

Another cohort of Australia’s next wine show judges has completed AWRI’s Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC). Over fo...
31/07/2026

Another cohort of Australia’s next wine show judges has completed AWRI’s Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC).

Over four intensive days, participants worked through 16 classes tasting close to 300 wines across almost every major variety and style, from sparkling to sweet whites, capped off with a trophy tasting of gold and trophy-winning show wines.

Guest judges shared their expertise throughout the week, helping participants sharpen the technical vocabulary and consistency needed to assess wine at an elite level.

One participant said, “I was incredibly impressed in the organisation of the AWAC course. They created a serious but equally light-hearted environment that made it very easy to feel comfortable sharing my thoughts and scores on the wines. Faultless in the ex*****on really. I learnt a great deal about my ability to taste and would highly recommend any wine professional or enthusiast undertaking the course.”

Congratulations to everyone who completed the course over the last two weeks and a massive thank you to all the staff and caterer involved in pulling together another excellently run program.

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