About Australian Winemaking

Australia has a proud winemaking tradition. Without a long history of viticulture and with a large country to explore in horticultural terms, winemakers have had to adapt techniques where possible from traditional winemaking countries while learning from their own scientists and vigorously experimenting with new methods of production. Australia was not fettered by age-old traditions or restrictive production codes. Australian oenological research, both at a theoretical and practical level (in the winery), led to new techniques that produced good, modern wines. These techniques were quickly acknowledged and adopted around the world.

This compendium of Australian oenological practice, written by some of Australia’s leading researchers and practitioners, provides access to these winemaking methods. Whilst not a practical winemaking manual in the hands-on sense, it presents a broad overview of the basis for winemaking processes, and outlines the techniques necessary for making sound wine.

In the first instance this compendium is being made available in electronic rather than book form. This has several advantages:

• the individual chapters or sections can be purchased separately, as required. This is particularly handy for students
• those who don’t wish to purchase the whole compendium can select only those parts that interest them
• chapters can be made available as they are finalised
• chapters can be updated to take advantage of new developments
• an electronic format provides for interactivity, with links to external information
• chapters can be downloaded multiple times, and made available on different devices
• the chapters are economical to buy.

The initial compendium will offer the following subjects:

• history and philosophy of the wine industry
• wine chemistry
• fermentation: primary, secondary, malolactic
• spoilage
• winemaking: red, white, sweet, sparking and fortified wines
• fining and stabilisation
• bottling
• winery design
• sensory evaluation
• laboratory methods
• winery record-keeping

See the list of chapters which gives the actual chapter names and authors.

These will be released as they are finalised. Other, new sections may be added if there is a need, and the publishers would welcome suggestions for additions to existing sections and topics that might form the basis of entirely new sections.

Australian Winemaking is presented under the editorship of Editors Nick Bulleid, MW, and Professor Vladimir Jiranek. Chapters have been reviewed by an editorial panel, led by Dr Terry Lee, OAM.

Australian Winemaking is produced by Trivinum Press, a new publishing initiative founded by experienced wine industry publishers Paul and Fran Clancy, Michael Major and Michael Deves.