 | Dr Richard Smart
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There are few people that have contributed more to the world of viticultural science than Dr Richard Smart. Richard is (in his own words) a semi retired consultant/mentor/researcher/climate change mitigation advocate, and dedicated enemy of grapevine trunk diseases. Richard has been a great advocate for the Australian wine industry and there is no doubt that Richard has had an outstanding career in education, research and service to the Australian wine industry.Dr Smart was a member of the inaugural Editorial Board of the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, and has made substantial contributions as author and speaker for scientific and grower publications, authorship for “Viticulture” chapters, a book “Sunlight into Wine”, Viticulture Editorship of four Editions of the Oxford Companion to Wine, and speaking contributions to nine Australian Wine Industry Technical Conferences and two ASVO Conferences.
Dr Smart has made extensive contributions to the wine sector knowledge base covering a wide range of topics from irrigation and water relations, to fundamentals of sunlight use in vineyards, to the problems of canopy shade for yield and quality, to mechanical pruning, to semi protection of vines in cool climates and the benefits of increased fragmentation of grape skins pre fermentation. Importantly Dr Smart was instrumental in developing a three-year Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Qenology at Roseworthy College. He has also taught at Cal Poly and Bordeaux Universities and supervised Masters and PhD students in Viticulture.On being presented with the Award Dr Smart said,
I am especially pleased to join the late Drs Peter May and Bryan Coombe as Fellows, as both were friends and viticultural science colleagues, and important mentors to myself. I recall well a conversation with Mark Babidge at Roseworthy around 1979, when he was an Industry speaker to our students. I had recently returned from speaking at the American Society of Enology and Viticulture meetings in California, and discussed with Mark the technical support the American Society gives to the Californian grape and wine industry. We agreed that the Australian wine industry would also benefit from such a professional society. Mark and colleagues went on to form the ASVO, and Mark was the second President. And we are all aware of how the ASVO has helped shape the Australian grape and wine sector.
Consulting and speaking invitations have led to my visiting over 30 countries, and many of the world’s wine regions. During my fifty two-year career I have written much about grapes and wine, most of it scientific and technical, and mostly in Australian industry trade journals. I am grateful that my book “Sunlight into Wine” is regarded as the international reference work for canopy management and has won an OIV prize : it is dedicated to Nelson Shaulis, my Professor at Cornell. My contributions as Viticulture Editor to four volumes of the Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson have also given much satisfaction, it is described as the “Worlds greatest wine book in the English language”.
While canopy management remains a personal passion the commercial opportunities to improve vineyard yield and quality remain largely unrecognised. I was one of the first to warn of impacts of climate change on the world of wine. This remains a current interest, along with the grapevine trunk disease epidemic, being spread globally as it is by nurserymen. Both issues are insidious and slow to develop, and so are generally unrecognised and ignored at a time when action should be taken.
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Richard Smart Acceptance Speech ASVO Awards Dinner
I, Richard Smart am honoured by this award from my home country Professional Society the ASVO, and I am very sorry not to be with you tonight. I have asked former Roseworthy colleagues and ASVO Fellows Patrick Iland and Peter Dry to respond on my behalf. I am especially pleased to join the late Drs Peter May and Bryan Coombe as Fellows, as both were friends and viticultural science colleagues, and important mentors to myself. When I was a 19-year old impending graduate in Agricultural Science at Sydney University, I was asked by my employer NSW Department of Agriculture to choose a career direction. Research or Extension? Pasture agronomy or wine grapes? My choice was influenced by another early mentor the late Graham Gregory, who advised “If you enter the wine business you will meet the most wonderful people, travel a lot and see beautiful places”. How true that was to become, thank you Greg! I recall well a conversation with Mark Babidge at Roseworthy around 1979, when he was an Industry speaker to our students. I had recently returned from speaking at the American Society of Enology and Viticulture meetings in California, and discussed with Mark the technical support the American Society gives to the Californian grape and wine industry. We agreed that the Australian wine industry would also benefit from such a professional society. Mark and colleagues went on to form the ASVO, and Mark was the second President. And we are all aware of how the ASVO has helped shape the Australian grape and wine sector. Together with colleagues I formed the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology in 1987. My career has been much involved with the application of science to the Australian grape and wine sector, and the ASVO. I was an organizer and speaker for the first Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference at Albury, and a frequent speaker thereafter, and at other ASVO and industry seminars. I was a member of the inaugural Editorial Board of AJGWR, and contributor to two volumes of the “Viticulture” text book. Consulting and speaking invitations have led to me visiting over 30 countries, and many of the world’s wine regions. During my fifty two-year career I have written much about grapes and wine, most of it scientific and technical, and mostly in Australian industry trade journals. I am grateful that my book “Sunlight into Wine” is regarded as the international reference work for canopy management and has won an OIV prize : it is dedicated to Nelson Shaulis, my Professor at Cornell. My contributions as Viticulture Editor to four volumes of the Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson have also given much satisfaction, it is described as the “Worlds greatest wine book in the English language”. While canopy management remains a personal passion the commercial opportunities to improve vineyard yield and quality remain largely unrecognised. My New Zealand client Delegat manage likely the world’s largest Scott Henry vineyards of 2,400 ha in NZ and Australia, and are totally convinced of the commercial benefits. I was one of the first to warn of impacts of climate change on the world of wine. This remains a current interest, along with the grapevine trunk disease epidemic, being spread globally as it is by nurserymen. Both issues are insidious and slow to develop, and so are generally unrecognised and ignored at a time when action should be taken. I repeat, I am so grateful for this award, and sorry not to be with you tonight.
