No-one wags the school wine classes

KENT BLECHYNDEN/ The Dominion Post

A CLASSY DROP: Wellington High pupils Esta Wilson-Burke, left, and Katrina Green are making wine as part of an agriculture course.

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Forget maths, economics and geography, Wellington High School pupils are coming to school to make wine.

The agriculture and horticulture class has produced more than 100 bottles of wine this year. And it has passed the all-important taste test – getting the thumbs-up from a wine expert.

The year 13 class used grapes grown at the school and added them to grapes picked in Hawke's Bay to produce 80 litres of red and 40 litres of white wine. Facilities at the Bay's Eastern Institute of Technology were then used to make the wine.

Teacher Dean Sheppard said the wine was not sold, but instead given away to teachers, guests visiting the school and pupils' parents.

Pupils were also given a bottle when they turned 18. "The kids' parents are all pretty keen to try it. It's proved very popular and we might look at increasing the amount we make next year," he said.

The idea behind the venture was to provide pupils with insight into jobs in rural areas and to make science exciting. "We are not only look at viticulture and winemaking but also forestry, horticulture and agriculture.

"The aim is to give students a wide range of experiences from which they can narrow down what it is they might do in the future.

"City kids don't often get to see what is out in the rural areas. It's also about putting science in a scenario where it is real for the students – hands on."

Pupils have been involved in making wine at the school for four years, but this year was the first time they had carried out the entire process – from picking the grapes to bottling the final product.

Art design pupils also designed the label and technical studies pupils come up with a website to explain the project.

The wine, Anaroa Hill, was named after the site at the school where the grapes are grown.

The wine-making did not earn pupils NCEA credits but Mr Sheppard was hopeful they would be able to from next year.

Esta Wilson-Burke, 17, said making the wine had been a good experience. "To be able to get outside and do something practical has been great. It made the class really fun."

While she was too young to sample the product, her parents told her the wine tasted great.

Raymond Chan, a wine judge with 20 years' experience, said the beverages were a "decent effort". "They smell clean and fresh and have been well made. They've done really well."

Alcohol Advisory Council chief executive Gerard Vaughan said as long as under-age pupils were not drinking the wine, he had no problem with the initiative. "It sounds like it's all very responsible."

EXPERT'S VIEW

Regional Wines adviser Raymond Chan, a wine judge for 20 years, gives his verdict.

* White wine: "It's nice, bright and clear and smells fresh. It's a decent effort. A little bit sharp, but overall it's pretty good. I could drink it quite happily. It would go well with oysters and a salad or a creamy sauce."

* Red wine: "It hasn't got a great deal of colour. But it has a nice fruit flavour and overall is a pretty nice effort. It's not bad at all. It could be used as a heavy rose or chilled to have with cold meat."

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