A contingent of six interns from Central Otago Winegrowers Association (COWA) members have bid farewell to winter to head to Burgundy to experience a vintage.

The stagiaires (interns) will spend the first of five weeks training and then be placed at various Domaines (vineyards).

After a two year pause on the exchange, COWA is thrilled to be sending the largest group to have participated since the exchange began in 2006. 

COWA general manager Jake Tipler said there was a lot of interest from members to apply for the exchange this year.

“With the New Zealand borders now open our winegrowers are keen to get travelling again.

“Experiencing a vintage in another wine growing region is a fantastic educational and cultural experience and they will bring this newfound knowledge back to their roles in Central Otago.”

This year both Promote Dunstan and Tonnellerie Cadus have generously provided some funding to assist with the stagiaires travel costs to Burgundy.

The Promote Dunstan funds are donated from proceeds from the Clyde Wine and Food Festival.

Prophet’s Rock Rochelle Young is one of this year’s stagiaires looking forward to the experience.

“A compelling part of the winemaking journey is connecting with the local community discovering mentors along the way and in turn passing on knowledge, skills and

enthusiasm for our craft. 

“I am looking forward to cultivating a greater understanding of and appreciation for the culture, history and traditions of Burgundy and bringing back different perspectives, philosophies and bottles to share.”

Other interns this year are Rosa Cockburn from Lapis Lazuli Vineyard, Tiffany Da Silva from Peregrine Wines, James Dobbs from Rippon, Molly Hermann from Felton Road, and Ben Leen from Amisfield.

The group arrives in Burgundy on Sunday (August 21) and will be hosted by Domaine JJ Confuron. 

Initial training will be at the Centre de Formation Professionelle et de Promotion Agricole (CFPPA) in Beaune before the month-long placement at their respective vineyards.

The other exchange partners are Mosaique Bourgogne International, Centre de Formation Professionelle et de Promotion Agricole (CFPPA) and the Otago Polytechnic Central Campus.

Burgundy in east-central France and is one of the country’s main wine regions, renowned for producing red and white wine and some of the most expensive wines in the world.