When a group of 11 viticulture students travelled to Spain for last year’s vintage, they were taken aback by the Spanish working ways.
Former student Jordan Kay said the Spaniards’ afternoon siesta would stretch from 1.30pm to 5pm, putting the brakes on winemaking for a good part of the day.
“We had to find ways to work within the established cultural practices, which was quite challenging but something you learn to enjoy pretty quickly,” he said.
Mr Kay and 10 other bachelor of agriculture and technology students from Melbourne Polytechnic’s Epping campus were in Rueda, a winemaking region in central Spain, to grasp the ins and outs of the verdejo grape.
Their lecturer, Alastair Reed, wanted to take them out of their comfort zone and throw them in the deep end alongside some of Spain’s best winemakers.
The students were required to produce three different types of wine: an aromatic white from verdejo, a grenache rosé from 130-year-old bushvine grenache, and a joven-style (unoaked) tempranillo.
Dr Reed said the September trip, funded by a Pozible campaign, gave students a chance to complete a full Spanish vintage, discover different grape varieties and visit some of Spain’s best wineries.
Mr Kay has since landed a winemaking job in Portugal.
Most students do their practical work at Melbourne Polytechnic’s Northern Estate wineries at Epping and Ararat.
The Northern Estate wine sale is on Saturday at Epping.
