The effect of cover crops and soil management on weeds (Part 3) – musk herons bill
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different weed management treatments on the stand of musk herons bill, one of the species that dominated the weed spectrum in the experiment vineyard, over the medium term. Introduction Musk herons bill...
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Non-culture based technologies reveal novel microbes in wine
Many studies on the microbiology of winemaking rely largely on culture-based plating, which is biased towards the microbes that are able to grow on laboratory growth media. More recent methods are culture independent – based on the ability to detect the presence of an...
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Aromatic quality of wines – a yeast perspective
This article reports on progress made in addressing the first of the undermentioned two challenges, and in particular focuses on our ability to predict the production of aroma compounds by different strains of yeast. “Complex” is one of the most commonly used,...
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Sparkling wine (Part 1): Sensory perception of traditional style sparkling wine
Scientific principles for the sensory evaluation of wines can be difficult to implement in traditional sparkling wine (TSW), due to the wines’ complexity and effervescent nature. Introduction The distinguishing feature about TSWs is the second alcoholic fermentation...
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The scheduling for wine bottling
Bottling is the final process before a wine reaches the consumer. It is consequently of cardinal importance to execute it in such a way that the wine quality is not influenced negatively, but also that the right wine will be in the right market at the right stage....
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Carbon isotope discrimination in vineyards
Measurements of carbon isotope discrimination (CID) can be used to study the accumulative effects of strenuous environmental conditions on photosynthesis and gas exchange in the grapevine. Grapevine reaction to these environmental conditions is determined by observing...
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Potential water saving at high production vineyards
This case study in the Olifants River region was completed in the 2016 season and shows what can be done in terms of effective water usage on farm level. With regard to wine grapes it is well known that there is no linear comparison between the amount of irrigation...
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Non-Saccharomyces yeasts, MLF and Chardonnay flavour
This study follows similar studies done by us on Chenin blanc and Pinotage. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the effect eight different non-Saccharomyces yeast strains had on MLF and Chardonnay flavour. Introduction Wine production includes two...
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Sensing grapevine water status
This article will outline three attempts to link grapevine water status to leaf or canopy-level spectral data in an attempt to find the wavelengths that are most suitable for designing possible instrumentation/sensors for monitoring the plant for irrigation scheduling...
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The effect of cover crops and soil management on weeds (Part 2) – wild radish
The objective of the study was to determine the effect of different weed management treatments on the stand of wild radish (one of the species that dominated the weed spectrum in the experiment vineyard) over the medium term. Introduction Wild radish (Raphanus...
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Harlequin beetle – the Waterloo for South African wines?
In this study, the seasonal occurrence of the harlequin beetle (Harmonia axyridis) was monitored in four vineyards and the adjacent windbreaks over three growing seasons in the Western Cape Province. Harlequin beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera:...
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Maintenance of cellar equipment before and after harvest
Due to the time limitation and the production processes of the harvest, it is ideal that cellar equipment functions optimally and continuously without interruptions during the harvest. In order to realise this, cellars can apply a preventative maintenance programme...
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New tools to help overcome stuck fermentations in wine
Twenty years ago, it was thought that stuck fermentations were mainly due to two things: nitrogen deficiency and the glucose/fructose ratio of the must. Recently, researchers have learned more about the topic, and we now know that other factors come into play. Stuck...
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Screening of regulated wine substances
The use of high performance technologies and state-of-the-art equipment can help the wine producers and exporters to keep their products safe and monitor banned substances. The costs of these analyses will grow as more compounds are added to the watch list, which will...
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The effect of cover crops and soil management on weeds (Part 1) – ryegrass
The objective of the study was to determine the effect of different weed management treatments on the stand of the ryegrasses (one of the species that dominated the spectrum in the experiment vineyard) over the medium term. Introduction A group of Lolium...
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Evaluation of South African Torulaspora delbrueckii wine yeasts
The aim of this study was to characterise and evaluate a selection of South African T. delbrueckii yeast isolates under laboratory conditions.8 Introduction The yeast population found on grape and winery equipment surfaces usually consists of Saccharomyces...
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Fusion of wine, fynbos, cattle, sheep and passion
PaardenKloof in the Overberg is one of the best practical examples of biodiversity where white and red cultivar wines, different fynbos species, Nguni cattle, Dormer sheep and personal attention form one great biodiversity family. Since 2001 Mohseen Moosa, a formal...
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Potassium polyaspartate – the most effective additive for tartaric stabilisation
The focus of the recent European research project at Stabiwine, was the ‘Use of biopolymers for sustainable stabilisation of quality wines’. This research project lead to the discovery of a molecule with interesting stabilising properties, a first in both the...
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