Provenance, preference and pivot: Exploring premium shiraz with international sommeliers and Australian winemakers using a new rapid sensory method

The idea that a wine from a particular place tastes different to a wine from another place has long captivated wine lovers around the world. Wine drinkers are becoming increasingly well-informed that certain regions produce wines with distinctive flavours that appeal to them, and may be prepared to pay more for these wines. From a research point of view, the topic of regional and sub-regional differences in the sensory properties of Australian Shiraz wines is on that has recently been given greater attention. If it is possible to better explain what causes, for example, a Shiraz from the Barossa Valley to be different from a Heathcote Shiraz, this could improve Australia's position in the international marketplace, as consumers of premium wines cherish these regional characters and the stories that go along with them. This goal has been developed into a project covering on aspect of a lager program of research, undertaken jointly by researchers at the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre at Charles Sturt University, and the Australian Wine Research Institute funded by Wine Australia