Careers in Viticulture and Winemaking

Australia's wines are now being enjoyed around the world and our winemakers are in demand here and overseas. There is a demand for people who can grow quality grapes and also for those who have technical skills to make wine in our expanding wine industry.

Graduate Profiles

Dr Marisa Collins
Post-Doctoral Fellow, CSIRO Plant Industry
PhD (Melbourne School of Land and Environment), Bachelor of Science (Honours)

Photo : Dr Marisa Collins The focus of my PhD was to investigate the effects of deficit irrigation strategies including partial rootzone drying (PRD) on Shiraz grapevines. As water becomes a more limited resource both PRD and deficit irrigation strategies are becoming popular with wine grape growers in Australia. My project investigated the effect that deficit irrigation had upon vine physiology, water relations and grape quality.

The entry pathway I followed into my PhD was to do a Bachelor of Science with honours, then take 18 months off to work (12 months) and travel (6 months).

My current position with CSIRO is as a post-doctoral fellow under Dr Brian Loveys in Adelaide. I am working on a four-year project that has two major aims. The first aim is to characterise major wine grape varieties in terms of drought resistance and then investigate the implications of their water-use behaviour in response to deficit irrigation. The second aim of my project is to examine the effect of extreme heat events on major wine grape varieties.

There are many benefits of under-taking a PhD, with the most obvious being; it significantly increases the job-options available after you graduate, in both your field and other fields. Many employers view a PhD as a very valuable qualification as it is tangible evidence of your ability to focus and think critically, work independently and not to mention being able to commit to finishing a project.

Careers in Viticulture and Winemaking:

Vineyard management
Selecting appropriate crop varieties, planting and tending young vines, irrigation, weed, pest and disease control, pruning and picking.
Winemaking (Oenology)
Testing grapes for sugar and acid content, crushing grapes, fermenting the juice, storage and maturation, bottling and cellaring.
Research
Investigating new varieties and their suitability for different regions, disease control, trellising and harvesting practices.
Cellar management
Storing wine, sales and guided tours for visitors.

Courses in Viticulture and Winemaking:

Undergraduate (view all)

Bachelor of Science with majors in:
- Agricultural Science

Graduate Coursework (view all)

Graduate Research (view all)

Further information on courses or study can be obtained by telephoning the University of Melbourne on (03) 8344 0276 or 1800 815 803 or email courses@landfood.unimelb.edu.au