Leading wine scientist to address 40th Nederburg Auction
Thursday, 7 August, 2014
Nederburg Auction
While celebrating 40 years of Nederburg Auction history, it is perhaps more than appropriate to also look ahead at where the science of wine is taking the industry. And very appropriately, the man that will do so at the 2014 Auction has a foot in both the past and the future.
Peter Godden, industry applications group manager for the Australian Wine Research Institute, is both winemaker schooled in the Old World and leading edge wine scientist. Fitting then that his keynote address on Saturday 13th September at Nederburg in Paarl will examine the relationship between art and science, and look towards the wine science horizon to find out how it can empower and contribute towards the making of outstanding, even visionary wines.
As a young man living in the UK, Godden was fascinated by food and drink programmes on TV, particularly Floyd on France, and took trips to Burgundy to experience the food and visit the places Floyd’s wines came from. Wine gradually became more important, and while on a working holiday in Australia in 1985 he was surprised to read about a degree in winemaking at Roseworthy College at the University of Adelaide.
“I went back to the UK for two years, but couldn’t get the winemaking thing out of my head. I returned to Australia, rang Roseworthy, and the rest has been a fabulous 25-year ride.”
As a winemaking graduate of the college, Godden spent five years making wine in Australia before departing for European shores for several vintages, learning the craft from old masters at Chateau Guiraud in Sauternes, at the Vietti vineyards in Barolo and finally with the Antinori estate in Tuscany.
Why Italy instead of Bordeaux? He pleads guilty to being seduced by Barolo. “I used to be in awe of Cabernet’s structure until I tasted my first Barolo. It took me to another place. I've devoted a considerable amount of my life since, to growing and making Nebbiolo wines.”
He returned to Australia and joined the Australian Wine Research Institute where he headed several research projects into wine bottle closures and yeast spoilage, both of which resulted in extensive global practice change in the industry.
Still, he is wary of the scientist label. “I wouldn’t presume to have any of the skills of the talented and creative scientists I have been lucky enough to work with over the last 17 years at the AWRI. Winemaker definitely sits better,” he says.
He sees no conflict between scientific and instinctive wine making. “A gut feel on which a winemaker might base a decision is synonymous with a scientific hypothesis, which might correct or incorrect; be proved or disproved. Experience informs gut feel, and the more experience one has, especially scientific understanding, the more likely it is that one's gut feel will be correct.”
Although the scientist in him prevailed for a number of years, the lure of the soil remained strong. Not neglecting his experience in vineyard establishment and management, Godden established his own small-scale wine business based in the Adelaide Hills, specialising in the Nebbiolo variety..
He has also held a number of industry roles including Vice President of the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology, membership of planning committees for Australian wine industry technical conferences, and has chaired judging panels at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show and a number of regional wine shows.
In his keynote speech at the Auction, Godden will be posing the question of where science is taking the wine industry, and share insights into discoveries from some of the wine world’s most respected academic institutions and researchers.