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Adelaide, Wine and the World



	Winemakers (from left) Kathy Cooney, Angelina Mondavi, Irit Boxer-Shank and Kate Payne

These four talented young women represent the global reach of Adelaide winemaking.

Irit Boxer-Shank from Israel, Kathy Cooney from New Zealand, and Angelina Mondavi and Kate Payne from the United States are all studying for postgraduate qualifications in Oenology at the University’s Waite Campus.

The four have had contrasting pathways into their winemaking studies, but are more than happy with the skills and knowledge their time in Adelaide is giving them.

For Irit, studying winemaking is a continuation of life back home on her family’s winery, situated 20 minutes out of Tel Aviv.

“I’ve always been surrounded by wine and winemaking, and wanted to make it my life too,” she said.

“I did my undergraduate studies in science back home, but wanted to go overseas for my postgraduate study to get more experience.

“I know of a few winemakers that studied here and in France, and they were very positive about Adelaide so I chose to come here.”

Kathy, who hails from Rotorua in New Zealand’s North Island, comes from much less of a winemaking background.

“I studied science in school, but didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” she said.

“At one stage I talked with three winemaking women, and to hear them talk about it and what they do, it was like, ‘This is what I want to do’.”

“I really want to travel and experience as many places as I can, and winemaking definitely allows you to do that. I couldn’t have a job where I sit behind a desk all day!”

Like Irit, Angelina comes from a winemaking family, but one that is among America’s most well-known and respected, the Mondavis in California.

It is a family history which Angelina said she initially tried to push away rather than embrace.

“When I was at high school, I wanted to be anything but a winemaker,” she said. “But I got a bit older and knew it was pretty much in my blood.

“I wanted to get away from California and learn more about winemaking on my own, and then go home once I had the experience and build up my own name as a winemaker, rather than always staying within the family business.”

Kate’s hometown of Portland, Oregon has a cooler climate and much less of a wine industry than further south on America’s West Coast. It’s a background which saw her a much later starter in her winemaking career.

“I had a science background and worked in a completely different science area for a few years before I realised I wanted to do something different.

“I ended up working in an urban winery in Portland and basically fell in love with winemaking. I could have studied in California to get the skills I needed but I wanted a bit of adventure and to get a different perspective, so after a bit of research I decided to come to Adelaide and have thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Oenology lecturer Dr Sue Bastian said apart from being a pleasure to mix with, it is an asset to the oenology and viticulture programmes to have such a culturally eclectic group of students enrolled here.

“The students from overseas contribute their global knowledge to the class discussions,” Dr Bastian said. “These are dynamic individuals – you can sense their energy – and I guess that’s why they’ve travelled so far to further their studies.

“Personally, I look forward to watching them make their mark in this industry.”

The attraction of winemaking is that it is more than just a science, according to Kate.

“We all come from a science background but winemaking has that something extra in it, which is why we all attracted to it,” she said.

“It has that bit of creativity, culture and art to it, as well as the science – it’s just the whole package. It’s a lot of hard work but it’s really gratifying when you get the final result.”

Wine Marketing Students Going Global



	Wine marketers Jennifer Lynch (left) and Monique Katchor

Two University of Adelaide Wine Marketing students are set for the experience of a lifetime after winning prestigious internships in the United States and United Kingdom.

Monique Katchor and Jennifer Lynch, who have just completed their studies, are travelling to New York and London respectively.

Monique has been awarded a 12-month placement with the Australian Wine Bureau in New York City beginning in January, and becomes the sixth University of Adelaide student in seven years to receive the honour. The internship is designed to provide the recipient with a broad understanding of Wine Australia’s position in the US market, which is arguably the most important export market for Australian wine.

“I’ll be part of a team of six people, and I’ll be involved with the research, educational and promotional programs the Bureau does with Australian wine in the US, and I’ll also assist with website development,” Monique said.

Jennifer has just left for London to take up the inaugural three-month Philglas & Swiggot Wine Retail Internship. The internship was established by Philglas & Swiggot owner Mr Mike Rogers and University of Adelaide Wine Business Group lecturer Mr Trent Johnson.

“Philglas & Swiggot have three fine wine stores in London and I’ll be spending time working in each of them,” Jennifer said. “They have a very good reputation in the UK and I’m lucky to be working there straight out of university.”

Both Jennifer and Monique praised the University of Adelaide’s Wine Marketing degree, saying it had given them a thorough grounding for a successful career in the wine industry.

“You learn about the entire process – from the moment the plant goes in the ground to when the consumer buys the finished product,” Jennifer said. “It’s a lot more than just marketing – we study all wine-related topics, like sensory analysis of wine and winery operation.”

“The University of Adelaide has world-class lecturers with international experience – so students are provided with cutting-edge information on global wine markets,” Monique said. “There is also a strong research focus, and in some courses we study alongside the oenology and viticulture students, which helps our overall understanding of the wine value chain.”

Mr Johnson said these are wonderful opportunities for the two students to kick-start their careers in wine marketing.

“It reinforces the very important role that the University plays in providing well-trained wine marketers for the industry,” he said.

“That the University has supplied six of the seven New York internship winners is not only a credit to the students, but a testament to the ‘whole of value chain’ approach adopted here, where the wine marketing students are exposed to not only the latest in wine marketing theory and practice, but also to viticultural and oenology subjects. This is a point of difference that other universities cannot offer.

“I wish both Monique and Jennifer all the best in their upcoming endeavours.”

The internships also align with the State Government’s Strategic Plan objective of increasing the annual exports of the SA wine industry to $3 billion by 2010, by developing and maintaining international links and partnerships and boosting promotion of local wine with key export markets.