Optimising yields in the vineyard for sparkling wine production

The masterclass is being held at Plumpton College, Wine Centre on Monday, 1 July, 2013, starting at 10:00 and finishing at 16:00. This Masterclass will focus on the latest cool climate research on the effect of viticultural practices, such as pruning methods, pruning level and leaf removal, on sparkling wine yield and quality. It will also cover quality assessment of juice press fractions. Dr Fiona Kerslake,is the Junior research fellow at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture and she holds a PhD in Pinot noir viticulture, with the significant findings that the influence of seasonal weather conditions have more effect on the Pinot noir grape and wine quality than vineyard management practices within each season such as pruning, leaf removal and trimming. She has recently completed a post-doctoral research project investigating viticultural management techniques for premium sparkling wine production. The most significant finding from this research was that the way we currently analyse the wines is inadequate and further detailed objective analyses for sparkling wine need to be developed. Fiona is now working on a collaborative project between Brown Brothers and the Tasmania Institute of Agriculture TIA, investigating factors that underpin the certainty of yield and quality in cool climates. Trails cover the effect of leaf removal and pruning levels on sparkling wine quality, and comparison of spur and cane pruning for sparkling wine production. Her research utilises the TIA/Tamar Ridge pilot winery located at the Brown Brothers Kayena vineyard. Fiona is a member of the TIA Perennial Horticulture Centre Viticulture and Oenology Group and is currently based in Launceston, in the north of Tasmania. Dr Kerslake has contributed to over 30 publications