A winemaker will be appointed at the newly opened CD Blake experimental winery at Charles Sturt University (CSU) with funding announced yesterday by the Commonwealth Government under the Major National Research Facilities (MNRF) program.

The National Wine & Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC), located at CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus, will receive $400 000 of a total of $4.5 million to establish a node of a new Wine Industry Research Cluster.

Director of the National Wine & Grape Industry Centre, Professor Geoff Scollary, said the funding would enable the employment of a winemaker for the NWGIC’s experimental winery opened in May.

It is anticipated the winemaker will be appointed by February next year for the 2002 vintage.

The Cluster seeks to examine and identify sustainable viticulture methodology to further reinforce Australia’s international leadership in wine production.  

Infrastructure and staffing for the cluster will be co-located at Waite Campus in Urbrae, SA (Australian Wine Research Institute and CSIRO Plant Industry), with nodes in Merbein, Victoria and Wagga Wagga.

Professor Scollary said the announcement was a great development for the wine industry in Australia and a significant boost to the NWGIC’s experimental wine production, which underpins much of its research trials.

“This will give us the capacity to significantly increase our activities in experimental wine production,” Professor Scollary said.

“It will also give us access to equipment for the chemical analysis of wines that we make, by having access to the infrastructure that will be established at the Adelaide node.”

Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, Senator Nick Minchin, yesterday announced  $155 million would be allocated to 15 successful proposals across Australia as part of the Commonwealth Government’s $3 billion Backing Australia’s Ability statement.