The CSU winery cellar door hosts events throughout the year. Photo: Supplied.
Students are well known for their wild drinking habits, but in Wagga there’s an altogether more sophisticated drinking culture that’s going strong.
Around the back of the university campus, overlooking scenic paddocks and bushland, there’s a cellar door that is raising the bar for student drinks while growing the next generation of Australian winemakers.
The Charles Sturt University Winery is Australia’s leading winemaking science school, teaching cutting edge viticultural practices while staying true to traditional winemaking techniques.
They produce a range of boutique wines and also run a cellar door on campus which aims to be a welcoming place for anyone, regardless of their taste in wine.
Head winemaker Johnny Clark took over the role in 2019. Since then he’s introduced a range of small batch wines, and has an exciting vision for how the program can be accessible to more people.
“I still see a lot of snobbery in this industry and I can’t stand it,” he said.
“I want to see if we can get more people involved from across the campus, but also people in town.”
Head winemaker Johnny Clark is passionate about wine. Photo: Supplied.
Most students in the wine science degree are mature-aged and already working in the wine industry.
Mr Clark explained that most of them have plenty of practical experience but are looking to gain a technical certification or to upskill in specific areas.
With students spread out across the country, most classes are done online with periodic sessions held at the state-of-the-art facilities on campus.
The CSU wine science laboratory has specialist instruments that most wineries wouldn’t own and Mr Clark explained that they often undertake small-scale testing for winemakers, as well as occasionally making specialty batches for other wine scientists.
“They’ll ask us to make a wine with a particular grape, or using a different method and then we can give them the stats … people use that data for their research projects,” he said.
The CSU wine science degree includes access to a state-of-the-art laboratory. Photo: Supplied.
An integral part of the program is the Cellar Door, which is open for free tastings five days a week. The shaded patio is a great spot to sit with friends on a summer evening, and when the weather is chilly there’s a cosy fireplace and comfy chairs.
All wines served at cellar door tastings are made on site, with the exception of a prosecco which is made by a CSU graduate winemaker near Canberra.
The winery commissioned another CSU alumnus to create the eye-catching labels for their boutique range.
Archibald Prize finalist Tony Curran was asked to create labels that capture the essence of the wines and reflect student life and delivered paintings that swirl and dance with colour and creativity.
Artist and CSU alumnus Tony Curran created the vibrant labels for the wines. Photo: Supplied.
The Charles Sturt Wine Society was created earlier this year and aims to host regular events which showcase different styles of winemaking.
They hope it will empower students to feel confident in their wine tastes while also giving them the opportunity to try wines made all over the world that might ordinarily be outside their budget.
Cellar Door staff explained that their Introduction to Red Wines event included tastings of a $93 bottle from France! But for those just looking to buy a bottle, the CSU wines generally sit around the $20 mark which is far more accessible for the regular plonk lover.
Johnny Clark outlined a few plans for future public events: live music, poetry readings and a collaboration with an art historian.
“Maybe they discuss art from a particular region of France, and we pair it with a wine from the same area,” he said. “Or we could think about wines that evoke the same kind of emotion as the poems. Lots of opportunities there.”
The Cellar Door is open five days a week and is only a ten-minute drive from town. Photo: Supplied.
He’s aiming to draw on the wealth of knowledge from within CSU faculty and students and create a space for them to share their wisdom over a glass (or two). Now that’s the kind of education we can get behind!
The Cellar Door is open Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 12 pm to 5 pm, on Friday from 12 pm to 7 pm, and from 10.30 am to 5 pm on Sunday.
Find them at Building 413, Mambarra Drive, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2701
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