UCD Viticulture Student to Study in New Zealand
- By CWF Sources
- Published 12/22/2005
- News
Davis, CA, December 16, 2005: UC Davis student, Diane Y. Choo, is the first recipient of the Douglas Wisor Memorial Scholarship which allows a young American winemaker to train at a selected winery in New Zealand during the harvest each year. Ms Choo will intern for three months at Craggy Range Winery, a specialist producer of single vineyard wines, starting in March 2006.
Diane Choo in the vineyard.
The scholarship was created to honor Douglas Wisor, a young American winemaker working at Craggy range Winery, who died tragically last year while kite surfing. The first fundraising event for the scholarship, which is awarded annually, was the tasting of Doug Wisor’s Craggy Range wines at St. Francis Winery in Sonoma on February 16, 2005 which raiser over $32,000.
Choo is expected to graduate in February of 2006 from the Viticulture and Enology Master of Science program and the University of California, Davis. She has worked at Saintsbury in Los Carneros and Shone Farm in the Russian River Valley and is currently a cellar intern at Domaine Des Comtes Lafon in Burgundy, France. A recipient of the Chevaliers du Tastevin’s scholarship award, she previously worked at Domain de Montille.
Choo is looking forward to working in a smaller sized winery, and on enhancing her winemaking repertoire by working with Riesling and Syrah wines. While in New Zealand, she will also tour The Family of Twelve (www.familyoftwelve.co.nz), an alliance of twelve of the country’s top wineries.
A keen sportswoman, Choo play soccer and hikes. When not making wine, she enjoys reading and is trying to become a better cook, as she loves to eat and share wine. “It all tastes better when shared”. Claims Choo. Born in New Haven, CT, she grew up in Seoul, Korea, and then graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in History in 2000.
The Douglas Wisor Scholarship is administered by the American Australian Association’s US-NZ Educational Exchange Program and is awarded annually. Founded in 1948 to encourage stronger ties across the Pacific, the American Australian Association (www.americanaustralian.org) is the largest privately funded national not-for-profit group in the United States devoted to American, Australian, and New Zealand relations.
The judges for the American Australian Association Education Fellows were: Mr. Malcolm Binks, Chairman of the American Australian Association and former senior executive at Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., Mr. Steve Smith, Managing Director, Craggy Range Vineyards, New Zealand, and Mr. David Strada, New Zealand Winegrowers, California.
Diane Choo in the vineyard.
The scholarship was created to honor Douglas Wisor, a young American winemaker working at Craggy range Winery, who died tragically last year while kite surfing. The first fundraising event for the scholarship, which is awarded annually, was the tasting of Doug Wisor’s Craggy Range wines at St. Francis Winery in Sonoma on February 16, 2005 which raiser over $32,000.
Choo is expected to graduate in February of 2006 from the Viticulture and Enology Master of Science program and the University of California, Davis. She has worked at Saintsbury in Los Carneros and Shone Farm in the Russian River Valley and is currently a cellar intern at Domaine Des Comtes Lafon in Burgundy, France. A recipient of the Chevaliers du Tastevin’s scholarship award, she previously worked at Domain de Montille.
Choo is looking forward to working in a smaller sized winery, and on enhancing her winemaking repertoire by working with Riesling and Syrah wines. While in New Zealand, she will also tour The Family of Twelve (www.familyoftwelve.co.nz), an alliance of twelve of the country’s top wineries.
A keen sportswoman, Choo play soccer and hikes. When not making wine, she enjoys reading and is trying to become a better cook, as she loves to eat and share wine. “It all tastes better when shared”. Claims Choo. Born in New Haven, CT, she grew up in Seoul, Korea, and then graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in History in 2000.
The Douglas Wisor Scholarship is administered by the American Australian Association’s US-NZ Educational Exchange Program and is awarded annually. Founded in 1948 to encourage stronger ties across the Pacific, the American Australian Association (www.americanaustralian.org) is the largest privately funded national not-for-profit group in the United States devoted to American, Australian, and New Zealand relations.
The judges for the American Australian Association Education Fellows were: Mr. Malcolm Binks, Chairman of the American Australian Association and former senior executive at Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., Mr. Steve Smith, Managing Director, Craggy Range Vineyards, New Zealand, and Mr. David Strada, New Zealand Winegrowers, California.