2 October 1995 New University Winery Opened In Vintage Style

Ribbon-cutting and cork-popping conviviality marked the official opening of Lincoln University's new winery.

Located on the campus' Farm Road, alongside the Horticulture Teaching Laboratory and Nursery, the winery replaces the facility based in the old Horticulture Department on the top floor of the Burns Building.

The opening coincided with the third annual Lincoln University Spring School in Grapes and Wine and was attended by participants in the school along with Lincoln staff members, students, postgraduates and industry representatives.

Speakers at the opening were the pioneer of cool climate grape growing in Canterbury, Dr David Jackson of Lincoln University, Denis Elvidge representing Lincoln 's Animal and Veterinary Sciences Group, to which the University's oenologists are attached, Dr David Heatherbell, Reader in Wine Science at the University, and Philip Gregan, Chief Executive Officer of the Wine Institute of New Zealand.

Speaking from the "other side of the cork", Mr Elvidge said that he, like so many others, could not fail to be impressed by the impact of grape growing and wine making in Canterbury. Examples such as the "oasis of capital development" around Waipara were there for all to see and he congratulated those at Lincoln such as David Jackson and Graeme Steans who had played pioneering roles in what was now a major regional industry.

In his address, Dr Jackson also praised his long-time colleague and co-worker Graeme Steans, describing him as an outstanding grape-grower in his own right whose pinot noir, in particular, have been part of probably every gold medal winning Canterbury wine.

Another towering figure in the Canterbury story, said Dr Jackson, was winemaker Danny Schuster. Grape-grower, winemaker, author, lecturer and firm believer in Canterbury's potential for producing great wines, Danny Schuster was associated with the earliest efforts at Lincoln and had remained an enthusiastic supporter right through.

Before cutting the ribbon and declaring the winery officially open, Mr Gregan spoke of the importance to the industry of training and research.

"The need for skilled personnel is very high and the industry needs graduates across the board, from viticulture and oenology through to management and marketing," he said.

"Training is one very important factor which is going to determine the competitiveness of our industry."

He said there had been an explosion of training opportunities across the country, for example in the polytechnics, and this was to be welcomed. He also said that seminars, such as those offered by Lincoln, were another very important method by which information was transferred from the researchers to the practitioners in the vineyards and universities.

On the research side he pointed out that scientists had to look at the needs of the wineries and vineyards, which he described as the "market" for research.

"Researchers have to get close to their marketplace," he said.

"In Canterbury it is interesting that there was a research and training facility - Lincoln - in place before an industry, and that's fairly unique."

After the winery was declared open there was the rare opportunity to taste some of the very first wines made at Lincoln back in 1976 when the then college began evaluating beverages from its earlier grape plantings.

The original tasting panel from 1976 was reconvened and their notes from back then were also brought to light. The evolution of Lincoln wines soon became clear!

This year's Spring School in Grapes and Wine attracted two well-known Australian wine identities as guest speakers - Libby Tassie of Southcorp, Wagga Wagga, and Dr Peter Dry from the University of Adelaide. Each made two presentations - Libby Tassie on "Antipodean Wines and Their Future in the World Scene" and "The Organic Alternative", and Peter Dry on "Predicting Wine Quality in the Vineyard" and "The Use of Partial Root-Zone Drying For Control of Grapevine Vigour".

New Zealand speakers included Tim Finn of Neudorf Winery, who chairs Winegrowers New Zealand, Dr Jeremy Cooper from Victoria University and Mike Insley from Montana Blenheim. Lincoln staff and postgraduates were also among the presenters.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.