Climate Change is the key phrase at this edition, explains Prof. Monika Christmann, Chairwoman of the Oenology Committee at the OIV in Paris. An increase in average temperatures, longer dry seasons and the more frequent occurrence of heavy rainfall are demanding adjustments in vineyard management, such as in drip irrigation.
According to the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), the alcohol content of Australian red wines rose from 12.3% in 1983 to 13.9% in 2004- a trend which is very similar to that in Europe. EU even authorised the partial de-alcoholisation of wine from August this year. This theme is expected to be debated at IVIF 2010. Prof. Christmann says, ‘In view of the much discussed topic of climate change, the recently authorised procedure of alcohol reduction should be of particular interest to those attending the event.’
Dr. Rainer Jung from the Geisenheim Research Centre in Germany also views the current global warming crisis as an important reference point for technological innovation: ‘Procedures such as pasteurisation, which is taken as standard in other drinks industries, are also increasing in importance in winemaking. And due to the climate changes taking place, the selection of high-quality healthy grapes will be a major theme for discussion at the Exhibition.’
Several exhibitors plan to showcase new equipment related to these issues. Scharffenberger is talking of the selection methods and machines to achieve harvested grapes which are as perfect as possible, making for gentler processing. Bad Dürkheim company will be presenting a laser-controlled, fully automatic sorting system.
The French company Pellenc is in the process of getting two new products ready for the German market: a stationary grape sorting system for the wine cellar, as well as a mobile solution with an integrated machine vision system and specific software.
There will be innovative new features in the area of bottling, whether it be alternative packaging systems or developments in processing technology. Further developments in membrane processing and treatment agents have also been announced.
New products for must and wine treatment, elimination of the hydrogen-sulphide flavour, acidification and the organic pure yeast will be tackled by various manufacturers. The French company Tonnellerie Radoux will be presenting its system for the spectrometric rapid determination of tannin in oak barrels.
Talking of technology improvements, Prof. Hans-Peter Schwarz, says, “With the many new laws introduced, new developments are to be expected, in particular in the area of plant protection. There is a co-operation between forecast models, application technology and the most varied of sensors for the reduction of application rates.”
Multiple-row technical solutions for the work carried out in vineyards are planned and will be presented using prototypes. With the topic of precision winegrowing, there will be electronic solutions such as guidance systems, field record systems, grape scanners, yield monitoring and automatic documentation possibilities on display.
For soil cultivation, there will be fuel-efficient and erosion-resistant technologies in demand. In the tractor area, continuously variable transmissions and motors which conform to the new exhaust emission standard can be found.
In short, wine producers and their technical personnel will find IVIF 2010 an interesting show and may look forward to an exciting display of innovation. |