About Dr Richard Smart

So-called “The Flying Vine Doctor”

Richard Smart has been involved with viticulture around the world since the mid 1960s. He is very experienced as a viticulturist, from a teaching, research and consulting viewpoint.

He graduated from Sydney University with Honours in Agricultural Science in 1966 and, subsequently has earned another three degrees. His M.Sc (Hons) from Macquarie University in Sydney was awarded to a study of sunlight use by vineyards.

Dr Richard’s Ph. D from Cornell University in New York State was study under the famous Professor Nelson Shaulis of Geneva. In 1995 he was awarded a D. Sc. Agric. degree by the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, in recognition of research into canopy management effects on vineyard yield and quality.

Photo on right of "Dr. Richard Smart and his Professor and mentor
Nelson Shaulis of Cornell University.
Photo taken January 1988 in New Zealand"

Most of Richard's career has been in viticultural research and teaching, at Griffith, NSW, at Roseworthy College in South Australia (including a period as Dean, Faculty of Oenology), and also as Government Viticultural Scientist in New Zealand. There,with his team of co-workers he helped lay the viticultural foundations for an emerging, quality-oriented and internationally competitive wine industry.

He has authored or co-authored over 380 publications, including the internationally acclaimed book “Sunlight into Wine” which is regarded globally as the reference on canopy management. Another significant achievement was as Viticultural Editor and principal contributor to the multi-award winning The Oxford Companion To Wine (1994, 1999 and 2006), edited by Jancis Robinson MW.

Richard Smart has helped to popularise the role of viticulture in the wine business, in an industry where the limelight is invariably given to “winemakers”. Richard's strong beliefs about winemaking in the vineyard have now become industry by-words, but this was not always the case. Feature articles about Richard and his views in global wine magazines like The Wine Spectator, Decanter, Wine and Spirit International as well as international newspaper wine columns have helped spread the message.

Since the mid 1980s Dr Smart has also been involved in international consulting, initially on behalf of the NZ Government as a supplement to research. Consulting has been a full time occupation since 1991, and he has consulted to over 300 clients worldwide. While many clients want to use Richard's expertise in canopy management to improve wine quality and vineyard yield, complete viticultural advice has been  given on a range of issues like choice of site, variety, rootstock, irrigation and nutrition management. Smart Viticulture also offers seminars on canopy management (over 50 have been conducted to date around the world!) as well as educational grape and wine tours and intensive viticultural training.

Dr Smart now lives in Launceston, Tasmania. He has a new business RuralSmart (www.ruralsmart.com.au) with his colleague Reuben Wells providing monitoring services to agriculture in Australia.