Wine Education at The University of Adelaide

The Australian wine industry has achieved spectacular success in the world wine market, particularly in the last 10 years, with Australia now ranking in the top five wine producing countries, and the number one wine exporter.

Nestled in the Adelaide foothills, a mere 5 kilometres from the CBD, the Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide offers beautiful scenery and state-of-the-art facilities. The Campus has its own vineyard from which grapes are sourced for processing in its on-site world class Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory. In 2004 the National Wine Centre will also be available for the classes in both the wine business and the viticultural and winemaking programs.

Wine Business

The University of Adelaide was the first in Australia, and probably in the world, to offer university programs in the wine business management and wine marketing areas when it launched its Diploma in Wine Marketing in 1977. Since then many Australian and international students have passed through the University’s programs which have grown to also include a Bachelor degree in Wine Marketing, and at postgraduate level a suite of coursework programs – the Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Master in Wine Business. Today the University of Adelaide has one of the largest university wine marketing/business programs in the world with about 400 students enrolled in its programs.

The Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and the new coursework Master of Wine Business offer graduates a range of coursework options, with many courses available online to students wishing to study through the external (online) mode. This development has opened the door for more international students to enrol in the programs, further enhancing the University of Adelaide’s reputation internationally. However, students from overseas and other states in Australia choose to come to Adelaide for the experience it offers. As a result students work closely with wine people from other countries on a daily basis – a mutually beneficial experience.

A unique feature of these programs is the integration of technical wine knowledge provided by viticultural and oenological lecturers, with wine business and marketing principles and theory, and with applications to explain and analyse past and emerging trends in wine consumption behaviour, and domestic and global wine markets. Graduates are well placed for careers in wine business, marketing or management.

Oenology/Viticulture

The University of Adelaide has a strong tradition in the areas of viticulture and wine making, firstly at the Roseworthy campus and now at the Waite campus. Graduates of its world-renowned wine education programs, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate level, have taken up positions in the wine industry around Australia and throughout the world.

The Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and the new coursework Master of Oenology, and the Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and new coursework Master of Viticulture offer graduates the opportunity to gain advanced knowledge and technical skills in oenology and viticulture respectively. A feature of these programs is the incorporation of reciprocal understanding of the two disciplines, which reflects trends in the wine industry towards an integrated approach from grape to the glass.

These programs will be of particular interest to those already employed in the wine industry who wish to further their wine technical expertise with an emphasis in either the area of oenology or viticulture, or for those wishing to effect a career change and join the growing wine industry. Graduates from the Oenology and Viticulture programs find employment in the wine industry as viticulturalist and winemakers, both within Australia and around the world.