Scholars
The first scholarship recipients, Alan Tse of Hong Kong and Dexter Foo of Singapore, joined the Shaw + Smith team for a week in the Adelaide Hills during harvest in March 2019, before heading south to Tasmania to visit the Tolpuddle Vineyard in the Coal River Valley.
Alan Tse, Hong Kong
It was my great honour to participate in the first Shaw + Smith Scholarship this year. It was different to the other winery trips I’ve had, it's a fantastic program that allows you to have first-hand experience in the winery and vineyard, with lots of tastings. In the winery I learned things you can't get from a book, such as how to handle the pumping over, punching down, recording temperatures and sugar-levels of fermenting juice, sorting grapes, and bâtonnage. In the vineyard the vineyard manager explained in detail how he manages his vineyards, and I was also involved in picking and harvest, it was really fun! The working atmosphere was really impressive, everyone in the winery - no matter full time or part time - were always smiling and willing to teach me, and share their experience with me. To conclude, it's a great trip that I’ll never forget in my life.
Dexter Foo, Singapore
I was very honoured and grateful to have been chosen as a recipient of the inaugural Shaw + Smith scholarship program. From going to the ground to learn how grapes were grown in their magnificent vineyards to working on-site with the winemakers to find out how their wines were being made in their winery, this scholarship gave me an in-depth, hands on experience. I now know how much dedication and commitment the team at Shaw + Smith put into their wines. Once again, I would like to thank the team at Shaw + Smith for opening up this opportunity to allow budding sommeliers to understand more about wine and to give them a clear insight of their approach to winemaking.
