New Zealand: Winemaking

The youthful and dynamic New Zealand wine industry has been greatly influenced by Australia’s adelaide University, which provided training, and personnel, for many New Zealand winemakers. In recent years, however, local universities and technical institutes have begun to offer courses in viticulture and oenology. These include lincoln University, Blenheim Poly-Tech, Massey University, Hawke’s Bay Poly-Tech, and Gisborne Poly-Tech. Auckland University now offers an MSc in Wine Science. Traditional winemaking techniques from benchmark European wine regions have also been adopted, however. The country’s southern hemisphere location has had a positive effect on the development of wine styles and winemaking techniques. Many young New Zealand winemakers choose to work a second annual vintage in Europe and gain a wider perspective on the world of wine (see flying winemakers). A reverse migration of mostly young French winemakers has a similar effect.