Science Snippet: Accessing grape and wine science

Using a literature search database (in this case Web of Science), the number of publications can be investigated. Entering the search terms grape and wine, a total of 84,952 papers are recorded on the database, between 1990 and 2021, of which 952 have a New Zealand author. Adding Sauvignon Blanc into the search reduces the total number of papers to 1,028 papers, of which 147 (or 14%) have had a New Zealand author. It is interesting to note the rapid increase in papers from 2005, possibly reflecting the international interest in Sauvignon Blanc generated by the success of this variety in the market.

A database widely available to everyone in the wine industry is Vitis-vea (vitis-vea. de/En/). This is specifically designed with winegrowers in mind. The search facility provides a quick method of highlighting papers of interest and using the advanced search function allows one to add or exclude specific search criteria. When I looked at the database in July 2022, a keyword Sauvignon Blanc brought up 1,043 records, adding in a further keyword line of Botrytis brings up 38 records (five of the first 20 on my list were published by New Zealand scientists).

A permanent link provides access directly to the journal. While some papers are ‘open access’, you can also access to a short abstract of the research, the background and aims, methods and results, conclusions and significance.

Dr Mike Trought is a scientist with more than 40 years’ experience New Zealand’s wine industry. He is a fellow of New Zealand Winegrowers and was inducted into the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame in 2017.