{"id":47124,"date":"2017-10-12T16:32:18","date_gmt":"2017-10-12T20:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=47124"},"modified":"2017-10-12T16:32:46","modified_gmt":"2017-10-12T20:32:46","slug":"brock-viticulture-institute-receives-960000-for-unique-wine-consumer-research-lab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2017\/10\/brock-viticulture-institute-receives-960000-for-unique-wine-consumer-research-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Brock viticulture institute receives $960,000 for one-of-a-kind wine consumer research lab"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine being able to shop at a winery or the LCBO while listening to classical music and savouring the aromas of chardonnay and pinot grigio, all without leaving your seat.<\/span><\/p>\n

A nearly $1-million funding grant will help Brock University\u2019s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute establish the world\u2019s first mediated-reality wine laboratory that will combine sights, smells and sounds to help researchers study the science of consumer choice in the wine industry.<\/p>\n

Brock\u2019s oenology and viticulture researchers are on the forefront of this leading-edge technology thanks to a $960,000 grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) announced Thursday, Oct. 12.<\/p>\n

The Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Sensory Reality Consumer Laboratory, to be known as R3<\/sup>CL, will be able to create a variety of environments in which people purchase and consume wines.<\/p>\n

These environments could include wineries, liquor stores or even dining rooms. Interwoven with the scenes will be music, smells and other sensory information.<\/p>\n

Researchers will study how a range of factors impact the research participants\u2019 choices of where and under what conditions they purchase and drink wines.<\/p>\n

This greater understanding of consumer behaviour will help the industry to best market their wines to potential customers, says CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe concept of coupling consumer behaviour with technical tools of augmented and virtual reality is not only going to put Canadian researchers on the forefront of this research, but it\u2019s also an international first,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The exercise is not just academic but economic, explains Inglis, noting that the majority of wines sold in Canada come from other countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to flip that, or at least gain a majority of market share that\u2019s Canadian,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis first-of-its-kind wine consumer laboratory will be an influential research platform to support and propel the Canadian grape and wine industry,\u201d says CFI President and CEO Roseann O\u2019Reilly Runte. \u201cIt will provide unique insight into wine consumer behaviour and be an asset for developing new, successful wines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Runte believes it will also raise CCOVI\u2019s reputation \u201cas a global centre of wine research excellence.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to acquiring the technology for the mediated-reality wine consumer lab, the grant will be used to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for several CCOVI research programs.<\/p>\n

For example, gas and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry machines will enable researchers to examine the impact of viticulture treatments that influence the colour, flavour and aroma of wine.<\/p>\n

This equipment will help researchers monitor changes to wine quality because of the impacts of climate change, one example being the cold hardiness of vines and choosing the right clone\/rootstock combination for vine performance and wine quality tailored to our future climate.<\/p>\n

The enhanced chemical analysis from the new equipment will support CCOVI\u2019s TanninAlert<\/a>. The program tracks tannin levels \u2014 which impact bitterness and astringency in wine \u2014 and provide Ontario grape growers and winemakers with information on the ripeness of these flavours to help consistently create rich and robust Ontario red wines.<\/p>\n

Also being purchased are enhanced fermentation tanks, to be used in CCOVI\u2019s research and teaching winery. Individually controlled for heating and cooling, the tanks allow researchers to determine ideal temperatures for different wine styles and impact during the wine-making process, as \u201ctemperature is a key factor that winemakers can control within the winery,\u201d explains Inglis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis CFI grant is an incredible opportunity to support Canadian research that allows us to be at the forefront of the research stage and have this international impact,\u201d says Inglis.<\/p>\n

Brock University\u2019s interim Vice-President, Research Joffre Mercier says the award \u201crecognizes the outstanding research performed in our Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, the only institute of its kind in Canada that links the vineyard to the wine and all the way through to the consumer choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe award also recognizes the outstanding economic impact of CCOVI\u2019s work on the grape and wine industry in Ontario. I am very proud of the exceptional work of our researchers and of their dedication and commitment to our industrial and community partners,\u201d Mercier says.<\/p>\n

CCOVI, an internationally recognized research institute on cool climate viticulture, oenology,\u00a0wine business and\u00a0wine culture, offers an array of programs and services to support the Canadian grape and wine industry.<\/p>\n

An economic impact study<\/a> last year found CCOVI contributed more than $91 million and the equivalent of 307 jobs to Ontario\u2019s economy in 2014-15.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Imagine being able to shop at a winery or the LCBO while listening to classical music and savouring the aromas of chardonnay and pinot grigio, all without leaving your seat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":47125,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3319,4052,55,41,1,5],"tags":[4982,855],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47124"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47124"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47127,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47124\/revisions\/47127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}