Wine students win Outbound Knowledge Exchange Bursaries
Syuzanna Mosikyan (left) and Yanina Giordano (right)
Two University of Adelaide PhD Candidates will travel across the globe to exchange knowledge with overseas counterparts that will address challenges and opportunities facing the wine sector.
Syuzanna Mosikyan from Adelaide Business School and Yanina Giordano from the ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, are two of nine Outbound Knowledge Exchange Bursary winners across the state.
The Outbound Knowledge Exchange Bursaries are delivered as part of Adelaide, South Australia’s membership to the Great Wine Capitals Global Network (GWCGN), an exclusive group of 12 internationally renowned wine regions, including Bordeaux and the Napa Valley.
Each of the bursaries are valued at $6000 for travel to one or more of the other 11 Great Wine Capitals, where recipients will engage with wine professionals from their chosen destination to exchange ideas and experiences.
Syuzanna Mosikyan's research is aimed at understanding how to improve consumer acceptance of alternative and gene-edited grape varieties, which will support the Australian wine industry to adapt to a rapidly-changing environment.
Ms Mosikyan plans to visit Bordeaux in France, Mainz in Germany and Verona in Italy to engage with research collaborators, wineries, industry stakeholders and decision makers who are driving climate change adaptation solutions and focussing on novel varieties.
When she returns she hopes to share her findings through industry journals and a presentation at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show in 2024.
Yanina Giordano is undertaking research to develop innovative solutions for controlling Brettanomyces spoilage in wine, which has the potential to have a significant commercial impact on wine production.
Ms Giordano's travels will take her to Rioja, Spain in November, where she will present at the International Congress on Grapevine and Wine Science. Following that engagement she will then travel to Verona, Italy where she will collaborate with the University and present research to winemaking students in that region. This work will then be presented at relevant industry technical forums in Adelaide and will contribute to ongoing collaborations with industry, the University of Adelaide and the Australian Wine Research Institute.
On their return to Australia, bursary winners will share new learnings to benefit the South Australian wine industry in general, as well as their own endeavours. Knowledge exchange is a key benefit of South Australia’s membership to the GWCGN, where network members do not see themselves as competitors, but rather work together for the benefit of the wine industry globally.
Travel is to be taken from now until May 2024.