South Africa Wine Research Projects

3. OENOLOGY RESEARCH NEW PROJECT

PREMIUMISATION AND VALUE GROWTH OF SOUTH AFRICAN CHENIN BLANC WINE

SAGWRI MAV 24-01 Prof Melané Vivier, South African Grape and Wine Research Institute, Stellenbosch University Project is co-funded by the National Research Foundation Research Chair Start date: 2024

AIM AND INDUSTRY RELEVANCE: The economic sustainability of wine producers in South Africa (SA) is under severe strain. Value growth in bulk and packaged wine is needed to become a sustainable wine industry. This project aims to explore ways to ensure the profitability of SA Chenin blanc wines in a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on balancing yield and quality. Chenin blanc was chosen for various reasons: It is a widely planted cultivar with a growing reputation, there is significant industry expertise in making excellent-quality wines from vineyards with varying yields, there is a strong focus on developing the cultivar brand, and considerable work has been done regarding typical Chenin blanc aromas, styles and consumer preferences. The project consists of five interdependent and additive work streams: market and product intelligence, distinctive SA Chenin blancs, production for profit, juice to wine and support systems. A model Chenin blanc vineyard planted to 19 different trellising systems will generate scenarios of very high to very low yields. A comprehensive characterisation will provide a holistic understanding of the vine architecture, yield components, vine and berry physiology, nutrition and ripening dynamics and berry compositions. The harvested berries’ juice will then be subjected to fermentation trials and experiments to identify optimal microbial consortia and their nutrition, as well as experimental winemaking techniques to determine the optimal techniques for high, medium, and low yield scenarios towards premiumisation of all categories. This project’s grape production and winemaking aspects will be directed (reverse-engineered) by a market, consumer and product-centred approach.

SOUTH AFRICA WINE RESEARCH 2024

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