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 facilita

te 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.

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.

Last Friday, the NCRIS-enabled Metabolomics Australia Node at AWRI, including our newly established Omics Accelerator, w...
14/07/2026

Last Friday, the NCRIS-enabled Metabolomics Australia Node at AWRI, including our newly established Omics Accelerator, was pleased to co-host the inaugural NCRIS Community Afternoon Tea at the Adelaide University Waite Campus.

The event brought together more than 50 members of the NCRIS research infrastructure community from across Waite, providing a valuable opportunity to connect with colleagues and strengthen relationships across the NCRIS community.

While our technologies and platforms are essential, it is the expertise, collaboration, and knowledge of the people behind them that underpin research impact and innovation.

Representatives from all NCRIS facilities based at Waite came together to showcase their capabilities and how they support researchers, industry and government across agriculture, food production, environmental monitoring, genomics, microscopy, metabolomics, synthetic biology, data science and data infrastructure.

Participating facilities included:

· Plant SynBio Australia
· The Plant Accelerator (Australian Plant Phenomics Network, APPN)
· Adelaide Microscopy (Microscopy Australia)
· TERN Australia
· AGRF Ltd
· Metabolomics Australia
· The Omics Accelerator
· Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC)

A sincere thank you to Professor Michael Goodsite, Pro Vice Chancellor, Research Services and Infrastructure at Adelaide University, for his closing remarks highlighting the national importance of NCRIS and the role of collaborative research infrastructure in supporting excellence and impact, including across the Waite precinct and the Food, Agriculture and Wine research theme.

We thank all the speakers who showcased the breadth and value of NCRIS capabilities at the Waite Campus along with Dr Mabel Lum and Dr Darren Plett from Bioplatforms Australia for joining us and for their continued support of the NCRIS community.

Thank you also to our fellow organisers from Plant SynBio Australia, TERN Australia, Adelaide Microscopy and ARDC for working together to make the event a success, and to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussions.

We look forward to continuing to strengthen connections across the NCRIS community in South Australia and creating new opportunities for collaboration.



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Metabolomics South Australia and The Omics Accelerator is funded through Bioplatforms Australia Pty Ltd (BPA), and investment from the South Australian State Government and The Australian Wine Research Institute.

10/07/2026

Spur pruning underway in your vineyard?
Viticulturist Nick Dry of Foundation Viticulture covers the key decisions at every cut — how to follow existing spur structure, why selecting the lowest spur protects vine manageability over time, how to correctly identify and count buds using the 5mm base bud rule, and how to finish the vine cleanly.

Watch Part 2 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtrufms6CmE

29/06/2026

Pruning is one of the most consequential decisions you'll make in the vineyard each year. Done well, it sets up vine health and yield potential for the season ahead.

Part 1: Introduction to pruning with Nick Dry of Foundation Viticulture covers what you need, how to think about the vine, and how to work safely and responsibly.

Whether you're onboarding new staff this season or just want a solid refresher before you start, it's worth 5 minutes of your time.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19Kz-snPZSQ&t

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Cnr Hartley Grove And Paratoo Road
Glen Osmond, SA
5064

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+61883136600

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