Scholarship
The Victorian Wine Show supports emerging winemakers and producers through an annual scholarship that returns all profits from the running of the annual wine show straight back into the industry.
Since 2021, the Victorian Wine Show has awarded a $5000 annual bursary to a student of the Melbourne Polytechnic Bachelor of Agriculture and Technology (Viticulture and Winemaking Major) to support their educational endeavours.
Prior to this scholarship, the Victorian Wine Show awarded an annual Victorian Wine Industry Travel Scholarship to support recipients to travel overseas to increase their knowledge and understanding of a particular grape variety, wine style or winemaking method.
2024 Winner
Jack Johnson
Sponsored by Melbourne Polytechnic
2021 Winner
Dominic Kearton
"Balancing study commitments and industry experience can be a tough ask, especially in the first half of the year while you look to gain valuable vintage work experience. You often find yourself in a position where, so as not to neglect your studies, you’re not taking on a full-time workload. At the same time, you are also not studying full-time and, therefore, don’t qualify for any government study assistance. It is a sort of financial purgatory that is common to most students.
This is exactly where the Victorian Wine Show scholarship helped me personally, as it allowed me to focus on getting as much as I could from my degree while not having to worry about the financial issues of casual employment.
This scholarship is a great gesture from the Victorian Wine Show and made me confident I was entering a genuinely supportive industry."
2019 Winner
Madeleine Marson
“I am delighted to receive this year’s Travel Scholarship and explore Sangiovese in more depth. As the flagship red wine with some twelve clones planted in our sotto and sopra vineyards at the foot of the Mount Camel Range, it is a variety I derive a great degree of enjoyment from working with from the vine to the bottle.
As a key variety in the Heathcote wine region’s evolution and embrace of Mediterranean and alternative varieties over the past twenty years, its potential in a variety of Australian wine regions in addressing the challenges of our changing climate is evident.
I’m grateful for this opportunity provided by the Victorian Wine Show with funding from the Victorian Government’s Wine Growth Fund and buoyed by their commitment to fostering the careers of young winemakers.”
2018 Winner
Mark Hicken
"The Victorian Wine Show Scholarship is a great way to help support research into international winemaking and viticultural techniques that can be applied locally to the Victorian Wine Industry. This same scholarship contributed to funding my overseas travel, which allowed me to research my interest in the Pinot Gris and Riesling styles of Alsace as well as other varietals of that famous region. This trip opened my eyes to the varying methods of production and viticultural beliefs of Alsace and how they can be applied locally.
Overall, it was a rewarding experience that contributed to furthering my knowledge of this region, its styles, and local winemaking and viticultural practices. By immersing yourself in the region you have the ability to make some great industry contacts and lifelong friendships along the way."
