By Andres Zhou Tsang

 

 

I am sure many of the ARC Training Centre Members have very fond memories of the 13th International Terroir Congress, taking place in Adelaide back in 2020, which connected grape and wine scientists and industry leaders from all over the World to address the main concerns and advances for global viticulture. While unfortunately that congress had to be delivered in a virtual stage due to pandemic restrictions, it still maintained the environment of enthusiasm and excitement of witnessing fresh science.

Two years later, the 14th International Terroir Congress took place in a classic wine capital: Bordeaux, France. This time the International Terroir congress merged with the ClimeWine symposium, thus forming the Terclim 2022 conference. The Terclim 2022 conference was celebrated from the 3rd to the 8th of July – five days of a well-rounded itinerary containing numerous talks, posters presentations, field trips to local vineyards and wineries, wine tastings, gala networking dinners…and even live music performances from the organisers themselves!

“The main focus of the conference was on the diverse influences of environment in viticulture and winemaking, and how climate change will reshape the way grapes and wine are produced in different regions around the world”

 

Talk and poster topics were distributed in terroir studies, implementation of smart technologies, soil properties and microbiology, adaptation to climate change through cultural practices and trough the choice of plant material, climate-vine interactions, future projections on climate change, vineyard sustainability, and terroir and climate influences on wine.

The conference included field trips to vineyards and wineries from three wine regions in Bordeaux: Saint Émillion, Médoc, and Sauternes.

 

Each region had their distinct soil profiles, demonstrated in situ trough soil pits.

We could taste a selection of wines produced in the area as a demonstration of how their terroir is reflected in their taste profile and final product.

 

An interesting aspect of this field trip was learning key facts such as ‘increasing temperatures, due to climate change, is altering the performance of traditional varieties, driving the producers to consider the implementation of new varieties to replace them in a near future’.

I am very grateful that my poster was chosen for the award of:

“Best poster made by a young scientist”

This is part of the outstanding contribution that the Training Centre is delivering to the wine sector through research and innovation.

 

I was very delighted to see four other ARC Innovative Wine Production Training Centre Members who attended the Terclim 2022 conference in Bordeaux, France: Dr. Lira Souza Gonzaga, A.prof. Sue Bastian, A.prof. Cas Collins, Dr. Nick Dokoozlian.

 

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the Terclim 2022 organising committee for putting together an amazing conference, and the ARC Innovative Wine Production Training Centre for supporting my participation. It has been an unforgettable experience!

Andres Zhou Tsang is a PhD student in the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production at The University of Adelaide.