Add British Columbia to the world’s wine-producing regions which benefit from
a major research university. The B.C. Wine Research Centre (BC WRC) at UBC has
been established to address all aspects of wine and serve as a resource for
the province’s highly successful and rapidly growing industry.
“The BC WRC will conduct pioneering research in the science of wine-making
and grape cultivation,” says Moura Quayle, dean of the Faculty of Agricultural
Sciences. “It will also develop highly qualified human resources with the expertise
to advance the technological development and the international impact and competitiveness
of B.C. wine.”
Co-ordinating the multidisciplinary research will be Food, Nutrition and Health
Prof. Hennie J.J. van Vuuren, who has been appointed to the newly established
Blythe and Violet Eagles Chair in Biotechnology.
Van Vuuren has conducted international wine biotechnology research for 15
years. He holds patents which have been licenced to international wine companies.
Former students from Bordeaux, the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa
and Brock University have followed him to UBC to begin research.
Among the objectives of the BC WRC is to establish a centre of excellence
in wine research and a wine library to evaluate and analyse young B.C. wines.
A networking system, WineNet, will be established at UBC to build on existing
research strengths in biotechnology, soil and plant sciences, engineering, marketing,
and other disciplines.
“The WRC will provide a focal point for wine research at UBC and leading experts
will be invited to discuss issues bridging science, industry and society,” says
van Vuuren.
An undergraduate course in wine appreciation — the first such course offered
as an elective in Canada — will teach students about wines from around the
world. Wine courses at all levels are being designed for the public.
Van Vuuren’s team will be the first to apply gene chip technology to study
the expression of genes in wine yeasts. This novel approach will allow winemakers
to maximize the aromatic complexity of wines and minimize the production of
spoilage compounds by changing fermentation conditions. No genetic engineering
is involved.
The BC WRC will be guided by an advisory council made up of members of the
wine industry, the B.C. Wine Institute and UBC faculty.
