| Nowadays young people who have the foresight | | | | The use of the glass electrode pH meter at |
| to actually plan a career in wine can choose from | | | | Penfolds has been attributed to his foresight and |
| a plethora of study programmes that focus on | | | | expertise, and its widespread implementation has |
| different academic aspects of wine. Not so long | | | | helped Australia's wines gain international |
| ago, however, there was hardly any professional | | | | recognition. Hick fought his battle with most |
| wine education available. | | | | Australian winemakers who wrongly believed that |
| It is thanks to unorthodox devotees like Alan | | | | malolactic fermentation did not occur in Australia's |
| Robb Hickinbotham, for example, that there are | | | | red wines. As early as 1932 he was warning of |
| now professional wine courses around as | | | | salt build-up in the soils in many South Australian |
| organised by universities, colleges and qualified | | | | vineyards and gave advice on how to remedy it. |
| independent lecturers. | | | | In an article in 1947, he suggested the industry |
| You will be struggling to find mention of him in any | | | | should look at planting grape varieties from other |
| of the oenology history books. And yet, in 1932 | | | | countries with similar terroirs. The recent plantings |
| Australian Alan Robb Hickinbotham, or 'Hick' - as | | | | of nebbiolo, barbera, dolcetta and sangiovese go |
| he was more affectionately known - established | | | | to show that Australian winemakers are now |
| the very first oenology diploma course at | | | | embracing this idea - some 50 years on. |
| Roseworthy Agricultural College (now Adelaide | | | | In the same pioneering spirit as Hick's, wine |
| University). | | | | institutes and colleges all over the world have |
| Hick joined Roseworthy in 1929. At the time, | | | | meanwhile made wine education more accessible. |
| viticulture and oenology were included in the | | | | The Mediterranean Campus of the European Wine |
| agriculture curriculum but only as an optional | | | | Academy is one such leading institute. It explores |
| subject taken in the third year. This was the time | | | | new, unorthodox avenues like the modern |
| of the Depression and soon Hick's viticulture and | | | | teaching method called 'distance learning' or |
| oenology scholars became headhunted by wineries | | | | 'e-learning'. The professional wine courses series at |
| who could no longer afford hiring French or | | | | the Wine Business School of the Mediterranean |
| German trained winemakers. Soon the 12 monthly | | | | Campus are designed to reach any student |
| 'cadetship' was further developed as a two-year | | | | anywhere as long as he or she has the interest, a |
| 'Diploma of Oenology'. | | | | computer and an Internet connection. |
| One of Hick's first's cadets was Ray Beckwith, a | | | | Inspired by free thinkers such as Alan Robb |
| young man who was to become instrumental, | | | | Hickinbotham, wine professionals are being shaped |
| together with winemaker Max Schubert, in | | | | in many different disciplines of wine, and in |
| overseeing the birth of Grange Hermitage. Hick | | | | modern ways, too, by utilising up-to-date |
| was much liked by his dedicated ex-students and | | | | technologies and effective methods such as |
| earned the respect of the wine industry for his | | | | distance learning. Probably not even 'old Hick' could |
| frank pragmatism. He was involved in many | | | | have foreseen this way of learning about wine. |
| industry 'firsts'. | | | | |