Not many people call me on my landline so I was curious when the phone rang and an unknown number with a UK prefix was on the display. I thought it was perhaps a fellow MW student who wanted to join our study group and tasting trainings that we organize here in the Tyrolean Alps. The woman on the phone introduced herself as Valerie from the UK offices of Australia’s famous Yalumba winery. My heart took a leap. I had participated in the call for essays to apply for the Institute Masters of Wine Yalumba Scholarship.
I don’t know why the scholarship is called the “2010” scholarship, because Valerie told me they want me at the MW residential seminar in Adelaide which begins on Saturday, November 21st! That’s right, next week! I thought of my teenage daughter and my pre-Christmas calendar… appointments, events, invites every single day. Valerie asked, “How flexible are you? How long can you stay?” This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a tremendous honour and exciting opportunity, so of course I answered, “I am honoured and it will be a privilege to come.”
While Valerie and her colleague Kirsty in Australia are busy booking my flight and planning my itinerary, I have been busy calling my clients and appointments and determining what is urgent and what can be postponed, delegated or outsourced.
I’m off to OZ!
About the Yalumba Scholarship:
On the 20th of October, 2009 the Institute Masters of Wine announced a call for applications for the Yalumba Scholarship 2010. Yalumba is Australia’s oldest family-owned winery and a supporter of the Institute Masters of Wine. The Yalumba Scholarship is awarded annually to one Europe or Americas-based, second-year MW student enrolled on the full education programme. This generous scholarship consists of:
- a return flight ticket on economy class to the MW seminar in Adelaide from a major city near the winner’s hometown;
- accommodation for the duration of the MW seminar in Adelaide; and
- a one-week visit to the Yalumba vineyard, nursery and winery in Angaston
Selection for the scholarship was in the form of an essay (1000 words in length, written in English). The essay topic was:
“There is no fundamental or systemic problem with the Australian wine sector; it is going through a cycle where after many years of popularity, other regions, countries or styles are garnering more interest from the gatekeepers”.
Discuss the validity of this statement and suggest ways to overcome the current problems facing the Australian Wine Industry in re-building the awareness of its regional and varietal diversity.
Fifth generation Yalumba Proprietor, Robert Hill Smith said, “On the ground experience is a crucial part of education for all wine enthusiasts. The winner will have the rare opportunity to work alongside our experienced viti and vini teams and have our wider resources at their disposal for the duration of their visit to the Barossa Valley. We look forward to receiving responses and anticipate that these will be both insightful and interesting – we are very pleased to offer this scholarship once again.”
About Yalumba:
Yalumba of today continues to remain fiercely independent and extremely progressive under the ownership of fifth generation Robert and Sam Hill Smith, sons of Wyndham and Helen Hill Smith and for almost 160 years, Yalumba has played a pivotal role in the Barossa, making wines that reflect the best of region.
Yalumba was founded by Dorset brewer Samuel Smith in 1849, who brought his family to Angaston seeking a new life. After purchasing a 30-acre parcel of land just beyond the village of Angaston, Smith and his son Sidney began planting the first vines by moonlight. Samuel named his patch “Yalumba” – Aboriginal for “all the land around.
It is not just Yalumba’s work with the Viognier grape variety that warrants its reputation as a pioneering company. Yalumba is the sole company in Australia to craft its own oak barrels. In addition to the cooperage, Yalumba counts a wine nursery among its prized assets, which enables the winemakers to have a significant input into grape quality from an early stage. Today, this viticultural nursery specialises at the high end of vine breeding, and has winery and winegrower clients across all states.
Yalumba has also been influential in its strong policies on recycling, making sure that every effort is made to certify that waste and water are recycled, as well as ensuring energy is saved and the general environmental impact of the winery is minimised.
As a result, Yalumba is the first winery in the world to receive the Climate Protection Award from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2007.