A team of senior Australian delegation comprising of wine industry representatives – Mr. Lee McClane (Chief Executive Officer, Australian Grapes & Wines), Mr. Damian Griffante (Director, Australian Grapes & Wines), Ms. Naomi Verdonke (Markets access Manager, Wine Australia), Mr Erik Wilkes (General Manager, Affinity Labs), Members of the Government of Australia – Ms Amie Brumfield (Assistant Director, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry), Ms Sweta Prabhakar (Senior Research Officer, Australian High Commission) and Wine Growers Association of India- Mr. Hansraj Kumar (CEO) and Mr. Ashwin Rodrigues (Secretary), visited NIFTEM-K and met Dr. Harinder Singh Oberoi (Director, NIFTEM-K), Professor Komal Chauhan. (Dean, Research and Outreach), Professor Bhim Pratap Singh (HOD, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences), Dr. Neetu Taneja (Assistant Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences) and other scientists and researchers of the institute.
In this meeting, both countries discussed various aspects related to wine production and processing, the scale of research and development, country-specific future prospects, ways to support Indian wine producers and industries, and current challenges and opportunities in production, processing, and regulations.Innovations in traditional grape wines and new fruit wines and the upliftment of entrepreneurs working with lesser-known and geographically limited traditional wines of Indian regions (Himachal, North-East, and Maharashtra region) were also discussed.
The team discussed various areas for research collaboration (immediate, short, medium, and long-term) with NIFTEM-K, ranging from varietal screening suited to Indian agro-climatic zones and taste preferences to quality enhancement. In addition, the development of export, packaging, engineering properties, and key equipment as per the requirements of entrepreneurs, including strains, testing and analysis for metabolites, the development of the Center of Excellence for Wine at NIFTEM-K, and the introduction of specific courses in the field. There was also discussion.
Australian delegates also visited the facilities available here during their visit to NIFTEM-K, mainly the Center of Excellence for Food Fortification (CEF), Pilot Plant, and Center for Food Research and Analysis (CFRA). The delegation also had an interactive session with students and scholars of the institute, sharing the overseas internship opportunities and the scope of the wine technology sector.