When wine came to Waite

Many a successful winemaker made their way through Roseworthy Agricultural College before it merged with the 成人大片 in 1991. The move saw South Australian teaching and research in oenology and viticulture transferred to the University鈥檚 Waite campus, which has since become a global icon of winemaking.

Roseworthy oenology students in 1989, with Dr Bryce Rankine (far left) and Kenneth Leske (Peter鈥檚 dad, far right).

Roseworthy oenology students in 1989, with Dr Bryce Rankine (far left) and Kenneth Leske (Peter鈥檚 dad, far right).

Walking through the Waite Agricultural Research precinct is a bit like a stroll through a garden. Students flit between the world-class facilities like bees in search of pollen. There鈥檚 plenty to explore and the potential for cross-pollination of knowledge is priceless.

The 184-hectare patch is home to the (AWRI), the Waite campus library, (SARDI), (CSIRO), and the , a part of which has an impressive winery ().

The site has been a hive of winemaking activity since Roseworthy Agricultural College merged with the 成人大片 in 1991, after a rationalisation of tertiary education institutions nationally. Suddenly, a short bus ride was all it took to reach science and sensory lessons at Urrbrae in Adelaide鈥檚 foothills, rather than the 50-minute drive to Roseworthy.

This longer drive is a journey Revenir winemaker and director Peter Leske remembers well.

鈥淚 literally grew up at Roseworthy,鈥 Peter says. 鈥淢y dad was an agricultural economist and was on the board of management of the Roseworthy winery. We lived in one of the staff houses. As kids, we鈥檇 ride our bicycles to the winery and explore.鈥

Roseworthy was established in 1883 and was the first agricultural college in Australia. By the time Peter attended as a student in 1981 (at the tender age of 17) and graduated in 1983, the facilities were starting to wear. He has fond memories of sensory lessons and the collegiate nature of Roseworthy, but says the move was ultimately positive.

Peter Leske

鈥淚 have an emotional connection to Roseworthy because I grew up there and I loved the place, but there were several advantages to moving to the Waite campus,鈥 Peter says. 鈥淭he winery at Roseworthy was dated and needed rejuvenation, and the vineyard there was pretty ordinary.

鈥淢oving to an urban-based location made it so much easier for more people to be involved, and as a result, they collected more students. The investment they could attract by putting it up at Waite campus was also significant, so it鈥檚 a much better facility and position to be in.鈥

Winemaker Louisa Rose agrees. The head of sustainability and brand ambassador for Hill Smith Family Wines completed her degree in 1992, after straddling subjects in both Roseworthy and Waite.

鈥淲aite had much more of a community feel to it,鈥 Louise says. 鈥淏eing in beautiful old buildings they turned into our sensory space was an absolute treat. My recollections of tastings in the first year at Roseworthy was doing them in science labs.鈥

The new facilities were also enjoyed by Peter鈥檚 daughter, Georgina Leske, who followed in her father鈥檚 footsteps and graduated in 2022.

鈥淭he facilities at Waite are amazing,鈥 she says.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e got three or four different red fermenters you can use for your wine project. I鈥檇 never heard of a rotofermenter before. I saw so many things there for the first time. It鈥檚 a good spot to be able to learn because there鈥檚 a lot of amazing research being done there, and the teachers all put a lot of extra time and effort in.鈥

These teachers include and . Paul is the Head Winemaker at the Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory. He graduated from Roseworthy in 1990 and joined the team at Waite as a staff member in 2001.

When wine came to Waite

鈥淚 was essentially in their last real, proper cohort before the merger happened,鈥 he says. 鈥淭he post-grad program has changed considerably. There鈥檚 more hands-on winemaking in our postgraduate program now. There was very little when I went through. Winemaking is a complex process and there are lots of scientific disciplines in there. We try to cover all of that.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to learn the practicalities of winemaking as well, which is what this building is all about 鈥 picking grapes, processing them, and getting them into a tank.鈥

Among the crucial but simple advantages of Waite was its square footage.

鈥淭he setup at Roseworthy was all there but it was quite tight in space. We鈥檙e more hands on than we used to be at Roseworthy because there are more facilities,鈥 Paul says.

鈥淲e certainly wouldn鈥檛 have been able to cope with the number of students that we have now. We had our largest ever cohort in the winery in 2023. It was more than 100.鈥

It鈥檚 all good news for students.

鈥淭he industry has grown in terms of product availability,鈥 Paul says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 more variety. When I went through my education, no one was really doing Sauvignon Blanc; it was all about super oaky Chardonnay. The grape varieties and wine styles of today make it more exciting.鈥

Graduates of Waite will tell you Paul and his peers are an essential part of the oenology program鈥檚 success.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e not just great scientists, they鈥檒l do anything for students,鈥 Louise says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the key things about Waite, just how above and beyond academics go to make students feel special and make sure they鈥檙e getting what they need.鈥

And their support doesn鈥檛 stop when a student鈥檚 final year ends.

鈥淲ine networks come out of it for alumni,鈥 Louise says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 much more than a job for them. They put their whole heart into it, and it rubs off all over the world.

International and interstate students return to where they came from and pollinate the rest of the world.鈥

Written by Katie Spain

Photography by 成人大片 Archives and Kelsey Zafiridis

Tagged in Lumen Waite 100, Waite 100