Bryan Coombe gets world recognition for grapevine research as lecturer at Adelaide Uni's Waite campus

Bryan Coombe (centre) with viticultural scientist Peter Dry and horticulture science professor Margaret Sedgley at the official naming ceremony of the Coombe vineyard at Adelaide University's Waite Campus around 2000.

Dr Bryan Coombe became a pillar of the Australian – and world – wine industry with his grapevine research.

Graduating from Adelaide University in 1948, his career began as a viticultural officer (the first in Australia) with the South Australian government’s then-horticulture department. In 1956, he became a research assistant within the department of eonology at the University of California, Davis, before beginning a long career with Adelaide University in 1959, initially lecturing in horticultural science.

Coombe’s research, with many colleagues and graduate students, emphasised growing and developing the grapevine, especially the grape berry, and led to 152 publications –106 of them were refereed journals. With Dr Peter Dry, he edited two volumes on viticulture practices and resources for Winetitles, publisher of Grapegrower & Winemaker. Coombe was the first in the  Australian wine to receive a Fulbright scholarship.

The American Society of Enology and Viticulture honoured him with best paper awards (in viticulture in 1987 and enology in 1991) and honorary research lecturer in 1991. Retiring in 1992, Dr Coombe was an honorary visiting fellow at Adelaide until he died In 2014.

As a world leader in the field of grape berry development, Dr Coombe was awarded an Urrbrae Memorial Award in 1990 for his outstanding contribution to Australian agriculture in research and training university graduates. In 2000, the vineyard at the Waite campus, used by students and researchers, was named after him.

While honorary visiting research fellow at Adelaide University, Dr Coombe was also made a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the Australian grape and wine industry, particularly as an educator and pioneer of physiological and developmental research on grape berries. 

Coombe was the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology’s first life member and in 2012 it appointed him its inaugural fellow.