Thanks to funding from the Australian Government, Australian winegrape growers are set to benefit from commercialisation of an infield monitoring system that informs growers in real-time whether the smoke from a bushfire or controlled burns is likely to taint their winegrapes.
Developed by researchers from La Trobe University with funding from Wine Australia, the Wine Industry Smoke Detectors (WISDs), colloquially known as ‘wizards’, operate like the networks that continuously monitor air quality for human health, measuring particles in smoke to calculate risk ratings for taint.
The WISD project has been awarded $1.78 million through the Australian Government’s Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) program, which supports collaboration between universities and industry to bring research closer to commercial reality.
Grapes exposed to smoke can result in wines with undesirable sensory characters. Smoke damage to winegrapes has caused losses of more than $1.6 billion in the last 20 years in Australia, with the catastrophic bushfires of 2020 alone costing the industry an estimated $500 million in lost grape and wine production.
Currently, the only way that grapegrowers and wine producers can determine the possibility of damage from a smoke event is to have samples of grapes tested in a specialist laboratory for markers of smoke taint. These tests can be costly, often inconclusive and can only be done two weeks before harvest.
The WISDs are the culmination of a decade of research by La Trobe University. Data from over 2000 sampling points around 70 controlled burns and 10 major bushfires has linked smoke measurements in vineyards to outcomes in wine.
WISDs work by continuously monitoring vineyard smoke dose and converting this to a risk prediction of smoke taint in real-time, based on a proprietary algorithm. A traffic-light risk rating for smoke taint is provided back to growers via a mobile phone app or dedicated website.
More than 100 WISD prototypes have been monitoring smoke from bushfires and controlled burns in several states since 2022. With the WISD risk tool validated and in its final stages of development, a commercial partner, Goanna Ag, was recently engaged to progress the WISD system to market.
The AEA grant will support a collaboration between Wine Australia, Goanna Ag and La Trobe University for continued validation, development and commercialisation of the WISD risk tool. Transitioning the WISD system to full commercialisation through Goanna Ag will fast-track an expansion of their use across Australia and into overseas markets.
"We hope to see widespread adoption of the WISD system throughout key wine-growing regions in Australia,” said Professor Ian Porter, from La Trobe’s School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment.
“Having results in real time greatly reduces stress for growers and winemakers and allows them to make early decisions for management of smoke impacts on vineyards. In many cases they will be able to proceed with vineyard management, market their grapes and produce wine with confidence.”
Dr Paul Smith, General Manager – Research & Innovation at Wine Australia, said Wine Australia is proud to have supported the research by La Trobe University that has led to the development of the WISD system.
“The technology is revolutionising how the wine sector responds to smoke-related threats, giving growers and winemakers the confidence to market quality grapes and wine from smoke-affected areas.”
Jock Ferguson, Goanna Ag’s Winegrape Business Development Lead, said he was delighted the AEA grant will fast-track getting WISDs into the hands of growers.
“They are a vital industry breakthrough with appeal to stakeholders throughout the grape and wine sector in Australia as well as winegrowing regions around the world,” he said.
The WISDs were shortlisted for the Research Commercialisation category in the Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards announced on Tuesday night in Sydney.
The AFR Higher Education Awards highlight the contribution that the higher education sector makes to Australian prosperity and quality of life.
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| Wine Industry Smoke Detectors (WISDs), colloquially known as ‘wizards’, inform growers in real-time whether smoke from a bushfire or controlled burns is likely to taint their winegrapes. |
