Research into Wine Supply Networks

Australian wine producers face major long-term challenges associated with potentially dramatic shifts in the rural economy and the grape-growing climate. These shifts can lead to increasingly rapid changes in operating circumstances, consumer expectations and the productiveness of the natural environment. Interdependencies and feedbacks between these elements compound the decision-making difficulties faced by producers and grower communities. Investment options, sourcing strategies and future operating patterns need to be assessed over the long term, simultaneously accounting for viticultural, logistical and financial concerns. We envisage a Grape Supply Analysis Platform (GSAP), fulfilling the industry need for long-range futures analysis...

Read more about our proposals for grape supply futures analysis.

CSIRO intends making its statistical models and software applications for grape maturation forecasting available to wineries in Australia and overseas, starting in mid-2009. Our products and services will be backed by years of practical experience in successfully developing and supporting maturation forecasting systems for specific wine industry partners.

Read more about our products and services in maturation forecasting.

• What can be done to improve the efficiency of bulk wine transport operations in Australia?
• How can wineries and transport firms collaborate to reduce carbon emissions?

Researchers from CSIRO and SKM are pleased to release their report entitled "Innovation Opportunities in Bulk Wine Transport". The aim of the report is to motivate innovations in bulk wine transport: bringing about efficiencies, better financial outcomes and reduced GHG emissions.

Obtain the latest version of the report here.

For feedback and more information please contact Simon Dunstall at CSIRO.

• What happens en-route to the wine that Australian producers send overseas?
• How long does it take to reach its destination?
• What temperature stress is the wine put under?

Wine Supply Chain Council members CSIRO, The Supply Chain and Logistics Institute, CSIR and Catholic University of Chile are building a global picture of containerised wine shipments.

In Australia, we are working with wine companies to insert small sensors in shipments bound for the US. The sensors measure time and temperature during the journey from Australian wineries to US distributors. High and low temperatures experienced during the land transport, port handling and sea transport parts of a journey are of great interest to us.

We are also liaising with local manufacturers of container-liners, including Ospack Systems P/L.

For more information:

• Contact Leorey Marquez at CSIRO.
• Measuring Variability in Temperature Along International Supply Chains for Wine at the Wine Supply Chain Council website.
• A related article from entrepreneur.com.

The CSIRO ASN team aims to help the wine industry address important logistics and viticultural analysis questions. As part of this CSIRO, has worked for several years with major Australian wine producer Orlando Wines to deliver innovative decision support technologies in their supply network...

Read more about our work with Orlando Wines (material on csiro.au, dating from mid-2007).