Pinot Pioneers
Wairarapa Wine Region's Pinot Pioneers celebration dinner in early August paid homage to Nick Hoskins of Vine Managers and the late Richard Riddiford of Palliser Estate.
Josh, 26, began the programme in the middle of 2021, when EIT first began offering a suite of fully online postgraduate qualifications, which also include the Diploma in Wine Business and Innovation and the Masters in Wine Business and Innovation.
Josh is based in Auckland and works for the family business, Vintners New Zealand. But despite growing up around wine, his first degree was a Bachelor of Ancient History at the University of Auckland, which included an exchange to the University of Granada in Spain.
When he returned to New Zealand, Josh started working at Allpress Espresso as a coffee roaster, before deciding he would go back to his roots. "I've been exposed to it my whole life, but it wasn't until last year that I decided to really toss myself into the wine industry and start with EIT and then move to Blenheim and do a vintage last year."
Not keen to waste any time, Josh plans to move to London to pursue a career in wine distribution. "The UK might not be wine producing, but it has high wine consumption. There's a huge wine market there so I'd like to get some experience in that market before coming back to New Zealand."
