Résumé
Cool-climate Shiraz is gaining increasing popularity in the past decade for its stylistic savoury andspicy aroma. Black peppery spiciness has been considered as the key identifier of high qualitycool climate Shiraz in many Australian cool-climate wine regions. Rotundone, an oxygenatedbicyclic sesquiterpene, was firstly identified by Australian researchers as the primary compoundresponsible for this iconic characteristic. In the past four years, the University of Melbournepartnered with Australian wine industry, and conducted frontier researches on this compound. Weinvestigated the influence of ‘terroir’ and grapevine physiological responses on the production ofrotundone in Shiraz grape and wine with a range of vineyard management factors which can bemanipulated to increase its occurrence. We have established models to link historical climatefactors with rotundone, and used this model to predict future production. The model allows realtimeestimation of rotundone production during growing season and in the final wine bymeasuring grapevine phenological stages and cumulative heat during grape ripening. This enablesadoption of precision irrigation and canopy management strategies for achieving favourable ormitigating adverse impacts of climatic change, with the aim of maximising the rotundoneconcentration of grape berries. Furthermore, integrated with climate projection models, we areable to predict the production of rotundone in wine in future vintages. This research allows iconiccool climate Shiraz styles to be preserved, and allows modelling of new grape growing regions ina changing climate. This report will introduce the latest progresses on the research of rotundoneand associated sesquiterpene compounds and give practical instructions on how to manipulatevineyard rotundone production, which are especially important to maintain the sustainability ofcool climate Shiraz style.