Iconic wine estate to become part of The University of Auckland

The University of Auckland is positioned to become the Southern Hemisphere’s premium wine science facility thanks to the vision of pioneering Waiheke winemakers Kim and Jeanette Goldwater.

The Goldwater family have partially gifted their iconic vineyard and winemaking operation to the University’s Wine Science programme. The gift will allow students and researchers to operate in a world-class commercial winemaking environment.

“This is an unprecedented and extremely generous donation that will benefit both the University and the wine industry,” says Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart McCutcheon.

“The opportunity for immersion in a high-quality commercial winery means that our students will be better trained than ever before and highly attuned to the realities of the industry. We believe that the wine industry will benefit from the supply of high quality graduates as well as the University’s ongoing wine science research.”

The University has acquired the Waiheke property, partly through a commercial transaction, and partly through the $4m philanthropic gift. The 14-hectare vineyard and winery will operate two parallel streams. An established team will continue to produce wines commercially under the premium Goldie brand and more accessibly-priced Island label. Wine science students will keep producing their own wines for teaching purposes under the university’s Ingenio label, work as interns in the commercial operation, and have access to the fruit and data for research.

The Goldwater family has had a long association with The University of Auckland with three generations of graduates. Kim Goldwater says he immediately thought of the Wine Science programme when he was contemplating the vineyard’s future.

“This is the perfect size for a teaching operation and I’m a great believer in knowledge and proper research. The overall quality of New Zealand wine is now better than anywhere else in the world because our winemakers are well educated, so it’s my quiet dream this will become an important centre for wine education and research.”

“The new arrangement means that we will be hardwired into the industry and able to fine-tune our teaching to industry needs,” explains Wine Science Director Randy Weaver.

“Teaching for the first half of our year-long Postgraduate Diploma in Wine Science will be onsite at the Waiheke estate and students will continue to work there several days a week for the remainder of their studies. Our philosophy is to teach wine production as a process that runs from the vine to the mouth. At the Waiheke estate our students will be exposed to everything from vineyard and winemaking operations to interaction with the public in the tasting room.

“We are expanding the curriculum for the course and anticipate that the number of students will double to around 30. The scale of the estate is perfect for teaching purposes and its proximity to the city, the historic value of the winery and the natural beauty of the site all will be major drawcards for local and international students.”

“Our Wine Science programme already provides valuable information to industry,” says Dean of Science Professor Grant Guilford. “For instance research on native yeasts has led to the commercialisation of a strain that increases fruit notes and complexity in wine, and work on the effects of temperature on the aroma profile is leading to changes in wine storage. We foresee further opportunities for research based at the Waiheke winery that will benefit winemakers.”

Kim and Jeanette Goldwater are pioneers of the wine industry on Waiheke who planted the first wine-quality vines on the island in 1978. Through a family trust they own the vineyard previously known as Goldwater Estate, while Gretchen Goldwater and husband Ken Christie own and operate the winery business Goldie Wines.

The gift will see both the Waiheke vineyard and winemaking operations become part of The University of Auckland. It brings the University’s “Leading the Way” fundraising campaign to $158 million to date.

Video of TV One's report on the Goldwaters' gift can be viewed on the TVNZ website.