Wine harvest up by a third

A high Australian wine crush will see the sector's surplus continue, according to Winemakers Federation of Australia chief executive Stephen Strachan.

Australia’s wine crush grew by nearly a third in 2008 to 1,830,673 tonnes, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The figure was an increase of 433,323 tonnes on the 2006/2007 crush.

But Mr Strachan said the industry needed to downsize.

``We have been in surplus all this year, though not as extreme as up until 2006,’’ Mr Strachan said.

``We need adjustment in the industry…it’s starting to happen.’’

Australians map wine yeast code

Australian wine researchers have become the first in the world to map the genetic code for wine yeast.

Researchers from the Australian Wine Research Institute started work on the code this year, after a four-year head start for their northern hemisphere counterparts.

The Institute's managing director, Professor Sakkie Pretorius, says the discovery means new strains of yeast can be developed without genetic engineering.

"To tailor-make your wine making process in such a way that you can shape your aroma profile, or the composition of your wine according to market specifications is absolutely critical, and that critical element in that process is the choice of yeast," he said.