Conference to shed light on latest innovations in wine industry

Sparkling wine production is the theme of this year’s Winery Engineering Conference which will be held in Nuriootpa on 22 and 23 June.

The conference will take place at the Barossa Vine Inn and will feature presentations by some of the biggest names in industry to do with ‘the latest and the greatest’ innovations in the wine industry.

A free-for-all exhibition of new processes and equipment from a range of Australian and International wine industry suppliers will coincide with the conference, which is expected to attract about 200 people.

Winery Engineering Association conference and exhibitor coordinator Trevor Leighton says the conference is one of a kind.

“It’s the only conference of its kind in Australia in terms of addressing production issues,” Leighton said.

“The aim is to give members and industry an opportunity to network, catch up on opportunities that are going on, look at problems that are emerging in the industry and see how they may be dealt with.”

Constellation Wines Australia representatives Ed Carr and Andrew Byles will present papers on Understanding the different methods associated with producing sparkling wine and Pumping sparkling wine and associated flow control.

Peter Policki and Ken Johnson of Orlando Wines and Yalumba Wines will also present with a paper on Understanding the plant and equipment associated with each method of producing sparkling wine.

Leighton says the theme is reflective of the growing popularity of sparkling wine.

“Interest in sparkling wine seems to be increasing, even from wineries that haven’t traditionally been involved in that area, so we felt it was time to have a look at the varying techniques and innovations that are being used to create it,” he said.

The conference will also feature presentations about light-weight bottles, robotics, filtration, refrigeration, automation as well as changes in government regulations such as changing environmental and safety standards that may impact on industry and processes.

Leighton says numbers of attendees has dropped over the past five years due to the state of the industry. As such, he says now is a good time to attend the conference.

“The industry went through a period of rapid expansion, consolidation and now it’s number-shedding,” he said

“This makes it critical to be well aware of things like any inefficiencies and cost-cutting, and that’s something we’re conscious of and look at.”

The Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation will also present a report covering data collated on winery wastewater, recycled water and reuse options.

Rockwell Automation, Ridglea, the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), SafeWork SA and several other companies will also provide presentations.

Anyone involved in the production of wine is encouraged to attend the event, including people in management, cellar hands and suppliers.

The cost to attend the conference varies from $225 – 295 per person depending on membership status. Those who do not want to attend the conference, however, can attend the exhibition at no charge.