Provisor, a leader in small and pilot-scale winemaking, now offers out of vintage winemaking in addition to their vintage winemaking services.
R&D activities that have previously been restricted to the vintage period can now be conducted throughout the year.
Winemaker Gemma West says, “In 2009, for the first time Provisor’s Adelaide facility will offer clients the opportunity to test winemaking variables, processing additives and technologies outside of vintage, utilising white juice and red must frozen from the 2009 vintage. This is an excellent chance for researchers or companies to perform trials and small-scale winemaking at a convenient time for them, outside of the busy vintage period”.
Gemma suggests another advantage is that R&D ideas can be tested and implemented this year in time for next vintage, effectively reducing the application time of R&D for the wine industry. The new out of vintage fermentations are available in a 20L white or 50kg red size, and can be performed singularly, in duplicate or triplicate. In the commercial environment, winemakers need to have a strong focus on production during vintage, so conducting trials outside of vintage removes the competition that in-house research trials and production often have for time and resources.
Provisor’s clients have used their winemaking services for trials involving winemaking variables such as yeast, enzymes, tannin, oak additives and bacteria, processing aids and development and independent testing of winemaking equipment. Trials including smoke taint, irrigation, sprays and other vineyard variables can be performed during the usual vintage period. Each trial is tailored to individual client needs and conducted under strict terms of confidentiality.
Starting with 130 ferments in the 2004 vintage, small and pilot-scale winemaking has grown to nearly 300 ferments in the previous two years at Provisor’s Adelaide facility, based at the Hickinbotham-Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory at the Waite campus. Operations are managed by winemaker Gemma West, who adds to the strong base established by foundation winemaker Chris Day.
In 2007, Provisor opened a second facility in Merbein, Victoria, overseen by winemaker Peter Rogers. The Merbein facility specialises in laboratory and small-scale fermentations, and is currently performing around 250 fermentations during vintage. The site has quarantine trial capability, and the ability to conduct laboratory scale ferments as small as two litres and is especially suited to vineyard trials with a low yield.