Dr Yi Yang
About Me
I am a wine chemist by training and passionate about the science of grape production and winemaking, along with sensory and analytical sciences.
My main areas of research are in soil chemistry, soil microbiology, grape production, wine science, wine microbiology, and analytical chemistry, coupled with a range of chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques.
My present research projects:
a) Inter-regional phenolic profiling of New Zealand Pinot Noir wine
• Examination of the regionality of New Zealand Pinot Noir wines, investigating the relationship between wine chemical composition, sensory and quality attributes; and the relation between wine intrinsic qualities and price (i.e., both the expected and the retail).
• In collaboration with Dr Leandro Dias Araujo (Lincoln University, New Zealand), Dr Tanya Rutan (New Zealand Bragato Research Institute), and Dr Rebecca Deed (University of Auckland).
b) Tea extracts (Camellia sinensis and Aspalathus linearis) as SO2 alternatives
• I have long been interested in the use of SO2 alternatives in wine. This project investigates the use of tea extras to replace SO2 at bottling, reporting the effects on wine phenolic composition and sensory quality.
• In collaboration with Dr Victor Ye (Eastern Institute of Technology, New Zealand) and Dr. Leandro Dias Araujo (Lincoln University).
c) Application of novel food technology on oak barrel regeneration
• This project came together from listening to the local winemakers and their needs and struggles. With the price increase of oak barrels over the years, some of the winemakers have to constantly make changes in winemaking.
• This project aims to develop a simple and effective method to achieve grinding of barrel stake during the barrel cleaning process. We are also investigating the previously reported issues on the leaking of the regenerated barrels and evaluating the cost-effective methods of the oak barrel regenerating process.
• In collaboration with Dr Victor Ye (Eastern Institute of Technology) and Assoc. Prof. Alaa El-din Bekhit (University of Otago, New Zealand)
Research developments of direct relevance to the wine industry include the identification of barrel ageing and microoxygenation techniques as the critical factor for extending the ageing ability of Pinot noir wine, and SO2 management and the use of SO2 alternatives at bottling that play key roles in wine quality, ageing ability and shelf-life.
