Professor Kerry Wilkinson
Professor
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Kerry is a Professor of Oenology at The University of Adelaide. Her primary research interests concern the flavour chemistry of grapes and wine, for example: the impact of bushfire smoke on grapes and wine; the improved utility of oak wood for wine maturation; and the influence of production method on the composition and sensory profiles of sparkling wine. Other areas of interest include the chemical and sensory analysis of foods and beverages, and their appeal to consumers.
Kerry completed her PhD in wine science and analytical chemistry at Flinders University and The Australian Wine Research Institute. Her appointment as an academic enabled her to combine her passion for both wine education and research.
- My Research
- Career
- Publications
- Grants and Funding
- Teaching
- Supervision
- Professional Activities
- Contact
Research Interests
My research interests primarily concern the chemistry of grapes and wine, in particular the chemical and sensory analysis of volatile and non-volatile components of organoleptic significance and the influence of environmental conditions, viticultural management practices and winemaking techniques on their biochemical formation and degradation. Current wine-related research includes: (i) Oak derived flavour in wine and spirits; (ii) Viticultural management of 'green characters' in grapes and wine; (iii) Smoke taint in grapes and wine and (iv) Objective measures of sparkling wine style and quality. I am also involved in food science research on almonds and edible insects, as well as learning and teaching projects.
Research Tuesdays Public Lecture | Smoke in the barrel (video)
How science is helping grape and wine producers overcome the effects of bushfire smoke taint
In recent years, the destructive impact of bushfires has been felt worldwide, and their frequency and ferocity is only expected to increase as our climate warms. The loss of life and property is a constant and familiar threat. For the wine industry, however, there’s another cause for concern – smoke taint. Leaving wine with smokey, burnt aromas and a lingering retro-nasal ash character, it’s led to significant losses for producers, both locally and overseas. Consequently, considerable research has been undertaken to identify how the challenge can best be met; and this presentation will bring you right up to speed. You’ll hear how smoke taint is evaluated in grapes and wine, how vineyard management practices and winemaking techniques can reduce its intensity, and what can be done to remove it altogether.
Teaching Interests
World of Wine: From Grape to Glass | AdelaideX on edX (video)
Online Learning: edX MOOC: World of Wine: From Grape to Glass
Latest News
A free wine education course has been launched by Adelaide University (article)
World of Wine: From Grape to Glass, Radio Adelaide (audio)
Grape to Glass: When the Bottle's Empty, Radio Adelaide (audio)
Grape to Glass: Tasting!, Radio Adelaide (audio)
App with wine info at a click developed by Adelaide uni (article)
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2019 - ongoing Professor of Oenology The University of Adelaide 2015 - 2018 Associate Professor of Oenology The University of Adelaide 2012 - 2014 Senior Lecturer of Oenology The University of Adelaide 2007 - 2011 Lecturer of Oenology The University of Adelaide 2005 - 2007 Research Fellow (Wine Chemist) Curtin University 2004 - 2005 Research Chemist Australian Water Quality Centre -
Awards and Achievements
Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount 2018 Teaching Award Commendation for the Enhancement and Innovation of Student Learning The University of Adelaide Australia - 2018 Teaching Award Best Wine Educator Award Wine Communicators of Australia Australia - 2018 Award Australian University Agriculture Education Award for Excellence in Teaching Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture Australia - 2015 Award Wine Communicators of Australia Best Wine Educator Award Wine Communicators of Australia Australia - 2015 Award South Australian Interactive Media Excellence - - - 2013 Teaching Award 2013 Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning Office of Learning and Teaching Australia - 2012 Teaching Award Stephen Cole the Elder Award for Excellence in Teaching (Early Career) The University of Adelaide - - 2012 Research Award 2012 South Australian Young Tall Poppy Science Award Australian Institute of Policy and Science Australia - 2010 Teaching Award Excellence in Education Award The University of Adelaide Australia - 2006 Research Award 2006 Science and Innovation Award for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia $10,000 -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2012 - 2013 The University of Adelaide Australia Graduate Certificate in Online Education 2008 - 2009 The University of Adelaide Australia Graduate Certificate in Higher Education 2000 - 2004 Flinders University Australia Ph.D. 1999 Flinders University Australia BSc. (Honours) 1995 - 1998 Flinders University Australia BSc. -
Certifications
Date Title Institution name Country 2015 Certificate III in Media Radio Adelaide Australia -
Research Interests
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Journals
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Books
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Book Chapters
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Conference Papers
Year Citation 2024 Dodds, K. A., Holzapfel, B. P., & Wilkinson, K. L. (2024). Assessing the potential for bushfire smoke exposure of apples (Malus domestica Borkh) to affect the composition and sensory characteristics of cider. In Acta Horticulturae (pp. 57-66). Online: International Society for Horticultural Science.
DOI Scopus12015 Ricci, M., Nursey-Bray, M., de Zwart, M., & Wilkinson, K. (2015). MOOCs: the AdelaideX experience. In Proceedings of the Higher Education Research Group Adelaide. Adelaide. 2014 Zhu, Y., Taylor, C., Sommer, K., Wilkinson, K., & Wirthensohn, M. (2014). Effect of Deficit Irrigation on Almond Kernel Constituents. In F. Dicenta, P. MartinezGomez, & E. Ortega (Eds.), Acta Horticulturae Vol. 1028 (pp. 221-223). Murcia, SPAIN: International Society for Horticultural Science.
DOI Scopus4 WoS42013 Wilkinson, K., & Jiranek, V. (2013). Wine of reduced alcohol content: Consumer and society demand vs industry willingness and ability to deliver. In Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Alcohol Level Reduction in Wine (pp. 98-104). France: Institut des Sciences del la Vigne et du Vin. 2011 Dungey, K., Grbin, P., & Wilkinson, K. (2011). Impact of smoke on grape berry microflora and yeast fermentation. In T. Hoffmann, W. Meyerhof, & P. Schieberle (Eds.), Advances and Challenges in Flavor Chemistry and Biology : Proceedings of the 9th Wartburg Symposium on Flavor Chemistry and Biology, Eisenach, Germany, 13-16 April, 2010 (pp. 249-253). Germany: Dt. Forschungsanst. fur Lebensmittelchemie. 2010 Wilkinson, K., Ristic, R., & Baldock, G. (2010). Assessing smoke taint in grapes and wine. In 14th Australian Wine industry Technical Conference (pp. 0 pages). Urrbrae, S. Australia: Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference Inc.. 2008 Wilkinson, K. (2008). Should publication be a compulsory component of Australian HDR programs?. In Proceedings of the 2008 Quality in Postgraduate Research Conference (pp. 139-144). ANU: The Centre for Educational Development & Academic Methods. -
Conference Items
Year Citation 2017 Wang, J., Capone, D., Gambetta, J., Wilkinson, K., & Jeffery, D. (2017). Characterising the chemical and sensory properties of Australian rose wines. Poster session presented at the meeting of ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. Washington, DC: AMER CHEMICAL SOC. 2016 Pham, D., Jeffery, D., Wollan, D., Wilkinson, K., & Stockdale, V. (2016). Partial dealcoholisation of red wine by reverse osmosis-evaporative perstraction: impact on wine composition. Poster session presented at the meeting of Macrowine 2016 - Macromolecules and Secondary Metabolites of Grapevine and Wine. Changins-Nyon, Switzerland. 2012 Wilkinson, K., Prida, A., & Hayasaka, Y. (2012). Evolution of oak lactone from glycoconjugate precursors during maturation of wine. Poster session presented at the meeting of ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. Philadelphia, PA: AMER CHEMICAL SOC.
Research Funding
ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production (2018-2022)
Wine Australia (2016-2020) Building and measuring the quality of fine Australian sparkling wines
ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production (2014-2017)
Office for Learning and Teaching (2014-2015) Development of a smartphone application as an e-learning tool for wine sensory evaluation
Wine Australia (2013-2016) Objective measures of Australian sparkling wine style and quality
ARC LIEF (2011) Advanced GC-MS instrumentation for the analysis of highly complex systems
ARC Linkage (2009-2012) The impact of vineyard smoke exposure on vine physiology and the composition of grapes and wine
AGWA (2008-2009) Amelioration of smoke derived taint in wine by membrane filtration and solid phase adsorption
Kerry coordinates and delivers several courses within The University of Adelaide's Bachelor of VIticulture and Oenology and Masters of Wine Business programs. She also teaches the Winter School offering: The Australian Wine Industry: Rise of an Icon and she led the development of the popular Wine101x MOOC: World of Wine: From Grape to Glass (available online via EdX). Kerry’s innovative approaches to wine education, and scholarship of learning and teaching, have been recognised through several teaching awards, including an Office for Learning and Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning.
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Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name 2023 Principal Supervisor Assessment of rapid detection methods for identifying smoke taint in grape juice. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ysadora Ashton Mirabelli-Montan 2023 Principal Supervisor Transcription profiling of glycosyltransferases following grapevine smoke exposure Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Wenwen Jiang 2023 Principal Supervisor Remediation of taint arising from vineyard exposure to bushfire smoke Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Song Yan 2022 Principal Supervisor Use of Activated Carbon Fabric to Mitigate Smoke Taint in Grapes and Wine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Tingting Shi 2021 Principal Supervisor Mitigating Taint in Wine Due to Vineyard Exposure to Bushfire Smoke Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Yiming Huo 2021 Principal Supervisor Everyday entomophagy: An investigation into pathways for accelerated adoption of edible insects in Western food cultures Doctor of Philosophy under a Jointly-awarded Degree Agreement with Doctorate Full Time Miss Ishka Nicole Bless 2020 Co-Supervisor From Brandewijn (Burnt Wine) to Bush Fires: New Directions in Australian Brandy Production Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Hugh Holds -
Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name 2023 - 2024 Co-Supervisor Cold plasma-induced quality changes in foods and beverages and plasma’s potential use in space exploration Doctor of Philosophy under a Jointly-awarded Degree Agreement with Doctorate Full Time Mr George Robert Warne 2020 - 2024 Principal Supervisor Evaluating Winemaking Applications of Ultrafiltration Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Stephanie Angela 2019 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Vetch as a New Protein Source for the Human Diet Doctor of Philosophy under a Jointly-awarded Degree Agreement with Doctorate Full Time Mr Samuel Arthur George Riley 2018 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Use of Membrane Ultrafiltration for Wine Stabilisation and Clarification Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Yihe Sui 2018 - 2022 Co-Supervisor The Sugar/Flavour Nexus in Grapes: Uncovering Its Identity and Relevance for Industry Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Pietro Previtali 2018 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Evaluating Diagnostics and Mitigation of Smoke Exposure in Grapes and Wine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Colleen Szeto 2018 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Understanding consumer sensory perception of beer and wine body Doctor of Philosophy under a Jointly-awarded Degree Agreement with Doctorate Full Time Ms Natalja Ivanova 2017 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Exploration of Using Cyclodextrins as Novel Additives and Fining Agents in Wine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Chao Dang 2016 - 2016 Principal Supervisor Defining the Impact of Flavour Interactions in Protein Based Food Matrices Master of Philosophy Master Part Time Mrs Jessica Louise Sanderson 2016 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Development of Flash Détente Applications for Impacting Red Wine Style and for Production of Colour Stable Red Wines and Concentrate Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Richard Gondai Ntuli 2016 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Biological Solutions to 3-Isobutyl-2-Methoxypyrazine Remediation in Wine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Jin-Chen Li 2014 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Selective Use of Winemaking Supplements to Modulate the Chemical Composition and Sensory Properties of Shiraz Wine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Sijing Li 2014 - 2018 Principal Supervisor The Analysis of Grapevine Response to Smoke Exposure Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Lieke Van Der Hulst 2014 - 2020 Principal Supervisor Getting Alcohol Content Right: The Compositional and Sensory Basis for the Alcohol Sweetspot Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Duc-Truc Pham 2013 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Bursting the Bubble: Understanding Australian Consumer Preferences for Sparkling Wine Styles Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Naomi Verdonk 2012 - 2016 Co-Supervisor Comprehensive Study of Australian Rose Wines: Characterisation of Chemical and Sensory Profiles Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Jiaming Wang 2011 - 2017 Co-Supervisor Potential for Natural Flavour Additives to Improve the Sensory Properties and Consumer Acceptance of Wine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Yaelle Saltman 2010 - 2014 Co-Supervisor Almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb) Fatty Acids and Tocopherols _ Under Different Conditions Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Ying Zhu 2010 - 2015 Co-Supervisor A multipronged approach to encouraging proline utilisation by wine yeast Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Danfeng Long 2009 - 2012 Principal Supervisor Factors Affecting the Levels of 3 Isobutyl 2 Methoxpyrazine and C6 Compounds in Vitis Vinifera L Merlot Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Martin Pablo Mendez Costabel 2009 - 2015 Principal Supervisor Alternatives to Oak Barrel Maturation: Influence on Composition, Sensory Properties and Consumer Acceptance of Wine. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Anna Marie Crump 2008 - 2015 Principal Supervisor Analysis and Amelioration of Smoke Taint in Wine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Anthea Fudge 2008 - 2011 Principal Supervisor Smoke Taint: Impacts on the Chemical and Microbiological Profile of Grapes and Wine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Kerry Pinchbeck 2008 - 2012 Principal Supervisor Condensed Tannin and Cell Wall Composition in Wine Grapes: Influence on Tannin Extraction from Grapes into Wine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Rachel Hanlin
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Committee Memberships
Date Role Committee Institution Country 2014 - ongoing Chair Crush: Grape and Wine Science Symposium Organising Committee Wine Innovation Centre Australia 2014 - 2015 Member American Chemical Society Pacifi-Chem 2015 Organising Committee The American Chemical Society United States -
Memberships
Date Role Membership Country 2016 - 2017 Chair The University of Adelaide, e-Learning Community of Practice Australia 2015 - ongoing Member The American Society for Enology and Viticulture United States 2014 - 2015 Chair The University of Adelaide, MOOC Community of Practice Australia 2009 - ongoing Member The American Chemical Society United States 2006 - ongoing Member The Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology Australia 2000 - ongoing Member The Royal Australian Chemical Institute Australia -
Editorial Boards
Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country 2018 - ongoing Editor Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology Australia 2016 - ongoing Associate Editor Insects - Switzerland
Connect With Me
External Profiles