Courses

English & Wine Appreciation

Bursting with taste sensation, Hawke’s Bay, the region around Napier, is New Zealand’s finest food and wine destination, home to fabulous award-winning wines from over 70 wineries, as well as delightful fresh produce, epicurean delights and gourmet experiences.

Learn about how wine is made and how to drink it to enjoy it, while learning English. The English & Wine Appreciation course will give you the chance to visit a range of top class wineries in Hawke's Bay, accompanied by a knowledgeable wine enthusiast who will explain everything in simple English and ensure you have a great experience.

A two or a four week programme introduces students to local wines, to grape growing and winemaking, to wine appreciation and the region's unique growing conditions.

See the vinyards where the grapes are grown, how the wine is produced, and taste a variety of both great white wines and red wines. Use your new knowledge to match wine with food for dinner parties and learn how to identify the characteristics of wines that you enjoy. Then, as you travel New Zealand and explore other wine-growing regions, you will understand and appreciate the differences between types of wine and the areas in which they are produced.

This course is only open to students aged 18 and over. It is suitable for all levels of English, however there is particular vocabulary relating to horticulture, viticulture, wine making and taste that students will be required to learn and be familiar with.

CLICK for 2-week sample timetable and course dates

CLICK for 4-week sample timetable and course dates

Hawke's Bay: Wine Country

Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s leading producer of reds in the Bordeaux-style wines, Syrah and arguably for Chardonnay too and is the second largest wine region in the country.

5000 hectares of grapes are planted, representing 20% of New Zealand’s total production. High sunshine hours and a variety of soil types make the region ideally suited to the growing of fruit and wine.

Gravelly, well drained riverbed soil, and the maritime climate with its relatively cool summers and mild winters is one of the greatest assets of Hawke’s Bay wine producers.

As a result, grape varieties from marginal climates, responsible for France’s top wines, have been planted here. ith over 80% of New Zealand’s plantings of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah grapes, Hawke’s Bay has gained a reputation in little more than 20 years for superb reds and for rich and complex Chardonnays.

"Simply put, Hawke’s Bay produces some of the finest flavoured, complex, textural chardonnays in the new world, and the warm, low-vigour vineyards of the region produce, at their best, rich, elegant, ripe red wines based on either merlot or syrah. Nowhere else in New Zealand can do this. These are wines that we love... it is why we are here!"

Steve Smith MW, Craggy Range Winery

Some of the excellent wineries to visit during the English & Wine Appreciation course:

Mission Estate Winery: Hawke's Bay's largest winery, with a well-respected reputation in the New Zealand market as a producer of consistent quality, value-for-money wines.

Church Road Winery: One of the oldest wineries in Hawke's Bay, applying hands-on winemaking techniques to the very best of the Hawke's Bay harvest.

Crossroads Winery: A boutique winery founded in 1990 that has rapidly established a reputation for producing elegant wines of high quality and consistency.

Ngatarawa Winery: Among the most picturesque wineries in New Zealand, where visitors have the opportunity to taste premium wines in a timeless environment.

Hawke's Bay Farmers' Market: This famous weekly market is a temptation in itself - a delightful showcase of regional gourmet produce.

2010 Fees	NZ$	Homestay accommodation
Enrolment fee	225.00	Accommodation arrangement fee	120.00
English & Wine Appreciation fees per week	370.00	Homestay fees per week	190.00
PLUS Wine tasting surcharge per week	50.00	Napier airport pickup by homestay	FREE