Students who are being trained in the art of winemaking will soon have access to a state-of-the-art experimental wine cellar.

The wine cellar, which is earmarked to open its doors later this year, is currently being constructed at the Wellington campus.

The new wine cellar will allow students following the National Diploma in Agriculture - Viticulture and Oenology, to have access to facilities that are on par with that in industry.

The facility will also allow CPUT to increase its intake of students in this field after a recent study revealed a need for more Viticulturists and Oenologists at a National Diploma level.

Hanle Theron, a lecturer in the department, said they are looking forward to taking occupation of the wine cellar, which is being funded by the National Department of Education.

Currently the laboratories and other facilities used by the students are being housed in containers at the Wellington campus.

“For the time being it is sufficient, since we do not do any experiments, but perform standard winemaking analyses. We, of course, plan to extend the laboratory as soon as we move into the new cellar,” said Theron.

She said students are already producing red and white wine on an experimental scale.

However, Theron said the facility will have a positive impact on their practical activities.

“The new cellar will enable us to extend the number of wine styles made,” she said.

Meanwhile, Theron said they are also planning to celebrate the graduation of the first cohort of National Diploma in Agriculture - Viticulture and Oenology students.

The group of seven, who completed their course at the end of 2009, will graduate at the April ceremony.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News

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Winemaking is not a task for the fainthearted.

It requires patience, a sound scientific background as well as a love of wine, says second-year students following the Viticulture and Oenology stream in the Department of Agriculture.

To ensure that students have the knowledge and hands-on experience that will give them the edge in the wine industry, the class is currently producing their first wines, a several-week process that starts by crushing and destemming grapes and will culminate in the bottling process and final taste test.

Oenology lecturer, Anton Nel, says the task is part of the Oenology module designed to develop students' foundation in biochemistry and microbiology and ensure they gain an understanding of all the processes involved in the production of wine.

“In the first year, they are introduced to winemaking and we look at the history, biochemistry and microbiology. In the second year we focus on the practical part of winemaking. This involves the crushing of grapes, separation of skins and juice, balancing of the must, fermentation of juice and stabilization and filtering of the finished wine,” says Nel.

“In the third year, we look at the post-handling of the wine.”

Nel says this year he encouraged students to be creative and to put their skills to the test, tasking them to create a wine of their choice, and so far he is impressed with their efforts.

Student Amanda Gwiji opted to produce a merlot with a wooded taste, which required her to add blocks of French oak to the wine after the fermentation process.

“There are a lot of factors involved in the process of winemaking. You have to be very specific because you need to get a certain outcome.”

“Winemaking is an art that is science-based,” says Amanda.

Her classmate, Koos De Wet, is producing a wooded merlot and hopes that by introducing blocks of American oak during the fermentation process, the final product will by soft and full-bodied. He is also producing an unwooded chardonnay, with fresh, vibrant and fruity characteristics.

Koos welcomes the practical task and says it provides the class with an opportunity to put their theory into practice and gives them insight into what they can expect in industry.

Click here for more information on the National Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology.

Written by Candes Keating
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