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