For the first time during our studies here in Blenheim, we are able to enjoy a bit of a holiday. However, when you work in the wine industry 'holiday' is close to non-existent, especially during vintage. The planning of this break could therefore have been better. Since my 'partners in crime' were out of town/country for a while, I was on my own monitoring our two drums of red wine - our rose and our three individual whites. So, every day I go to school around 10am to check the levels of sugar in the whites, that are in the middle of fermentation (in short: that's the conversion of sugars into alcohol with the help of yeast).When the sugar level is at the desired level you have to stop the fermentation or when fermentation get stuck, you have to take action and get the process going again. Our red juice/wine is in malo-lactic fermentation at the moment, meaning that malic acid is 'turned into' lactic acid. Halfway we checked the several acid levels and had to conclude that the acidity was not at high enough level to produce a good wine. So, here comes the (future) winemaker in view to 'fix' problems in time to make an agreeable product in the bottle.
Earlier this week the student association had raised the issue of the lack of living allowances for all students and were running a 'soup kitchen' at the campus. This attracted interest from the media and led to an article in the Marlborough Express under the heading: "Students say grades suffer from debt". Following is part from this article:
"Anita Van Hofwegen said she wanted to do a further year of study, but was unsure whether she could because of the impact it would have on her loan. "I can't life off the student loan and can't get the student allowance so I have to work as well as doing my course. Having to work has definitely affected my grades," she said".
Until now - apart from the scholarship from the Marlborough Wine Growers - I have not received any further sponsorships.
Since I am around Blenheim a bit during holiday and work has slowed down, I take the time to work on some of my assignments and do some catch-up reading for the upcoming weeks and on my special subject: "Organics and Bio-Dynamics". Furthermore, we have to start pruning in a few weeks time and this is supposed to be physically pretty hard work. We have been warned to start with some stretching excercises and to be sure we are fit. Since my body is already a bit older than 20-25 years it really is necessary to get my body in good condition and therefore I started going to the gym. I will only be able to do this for a short time (budget) and then I have to keep fit with the vineyard work itself.
As you will probably understand, I am a bit busy and today I have even been working with my hands in the cow poo!!......... but more about that next time when I have some pictures to go with that. Now, I am heading to Wellington for a short break.
Cheers,
Anita
17/04/2008
06/04/2008
Life between the grapes
Since a few weeks the vintage here in Marlborough is in 'full swing'. This means that nearly everyone is involved with something in the wine industry at the moment. The grapes are being picked and processed and with the rain of the last week the picking has become an urgent matter for most vineyards. The grapes were nearly ripe and the rain is causing all kind of problems with diseases at this stage and loss of flavours. So everyone wants to harvest at the same moment and the region is bustling and the roads are full of machine harvesters and trucks that are passing through town.
To give you a glimpse of what we are doing, I have attached two picture. In the first picture you see Anya and Hiro who are inoculating our red grapes with yeast. The yeast is needed to convert the sugars in the juice into alcohol and thus making the wine out of the grape juice. This process needs to be monitored daily. In the second picture you see them with busy doing 'whole bunch pressing' of our Sauvignon Blanc harvest.
Last Sunday Blenheim even made it to the National Radio News with the following message: "In Blenheim the roads are dangerous because of the grapes that fall of the trucks at roundabouts and corners. Everyone who notices a truck that loses grapes needs to report the registration number to the police."
At school the excitement around the grapes isn't anything less. We have started making our own wines in small groups. I am very lucky to be making the wine with two great people: Hiro, a Japanese guy from Tokyo and Anya, a Russian lady from Moscow. We have picked Pinot Noir grapes and are processing these into a nice full-bodied flavoured red wine and a lighter and easy drinkable Pinot Noir Rose. Apart from that we have picked Sauvignon Blanc grapes which we are processing individually into a typical Marlborough white wine. We are convinced that our products will be drinkable (but upto now only we are convinced) and are thinking about our brand and marketing strategy already while we are busy with the winemaking processes. Unfortunately, everyone has to wait for a few more months before our product will be bottled and ready for the market.To give you a glimpse of what we are doing, I have attached two picture. In the first picture you see Anya and Hiro who are inoculating our red grapes with yeast. The yeast is needed to convert the sugars in the juice into alcohol and thus making the wine out of the grape juice. This process needs to be monitored daily. In the second picture you see them with busy doing 'whole bunch pressing' of our Sauvignon Blanc harvest.
In between our work in the school winery processing our wines, we also had to do our first progress assessment (Computing) and a test (Viticulture) while we had to prepare some written reports (Science) as well. Needless to say that we are busy students.
Last week Marco visited me in Blenheim and joined me during the presentation of the scholarship. This was a pretty straight forward ceremony with hardly any attention from the outside world, which was a bit disappointing. But I received a nice certificate from Wine Marlborough the sponsor of this scholarship. To celebrate my scholarship we have had lunch at one of the wineries and did a small wine tasting tour in the afternoon.
The next day we have been doing a bit more of winetasting together with a few of my classmates, which also was a very enjoyable afternoon. Below you can see the view from the tower of Highfield Estate. 
Unfortunately, on Saturday I had to work but overall we had an enjoyable weekend and I even think that Marco liked it better over here than in Wellington. On Sunday I brought him back to the airport and went to school to monitor our wines.
Cheers,
Anita
28/03/2008
Moving again!
So after the good news of last time a lot has happened again. It is like life is everchanging the last months. This is great, because for me a life without change is like not living at all.
First of all I have spent the Easter Days in Wellington, where for a change, the weather was marvellous for nearly all of the weekend. Unfortunately, I had to write two assignments during my stay and therefore I did not have enough time to meet the people I would like to meet and to do everything that I had liked to do, but maybe next time ........ When I came back in Blenheim again there were visitors from Wellington. Blenheim is in a convenient position to the Picton Ferry so I have been meeting a lot of people from Wellington in the meantime (or are they just checking what I am doing here?) and it is great to go out with them and have a good time. A good break from school and the grapes.
The grape growing season here in the Marlborough area has come into its final stages. A lot of the grapes have been picked in the mean time. Last week we started monitoring the grapes in the school vineyard to decide when to pick. We have to make a red wine from Pinot Noir grapes in groups. I am working together on this project with a Russian girl and a Japanese guy and I think our group is very special, because of the different backgrounds and views on wine. From the start we agreed that we wanted to go the extra mile and so we have taken the extraordinary approach to try to make a Pinot Noir, but at the same time a Rose from these grapes. Therefore, we have to follow two separate procedures and although it will be extra work it will be far more interesting and a challenge! The test of the juice at the moment is perfect and we are confident that we are producing something that will be drinkable. From now on we have to monitor our product daily to be sure the process is going well.
In between the picking and crushing of the grapes I had to move houses again. Although, I did not have to, but I decided on moving somewhere where I had internet access and more space, so I have a real desk to do some work for school. The house itself is bigger as well, but here we live with four people in total, being the landlord, a classmate and a guy who works in a pub and two dogs. So, this weekend I am trying to settle down a bit and preparing for some tests that are upcoming this week.
There was a multicultural event in Blenheim organised by Migrant Support Marlborough this weekend where a lot of cultural groups performed. With my former flatmate I spent some time watching the different shows on stage - and for the first time the sun was not shining. It seems that autumn really is coming now. It feels already like a very long summer to me and I am enjoying that very much.
This week Marco will be travelling down to Blenheim for the first time, so he will be there during the official presentation of the Scholarship Award during a ceremony at the Institute on Thursday.
Cheers,
Anita
First of all I have spent the Easter Days in Wellington, where for a change, the weather was marvellous for nearly all of the weekend. Unfortunately, I had to write two assignments during my stay and therefore I did not have enough time to meet the people I would like to meet and to do everything that I had liked to do, but maybe next time ........ When I came back in Blenheim again there were visitors from Wellington. Blenheim is in a convenient position to the Picton Ferry so I have been meeting a lot of people from Wellington in the meantime (or are they just checking what I am doing here?) and it is great to go out with them and have a good time. A good break from school and the grapes.
The grape growing season here in the Marlborough area has come into its final stages. A lot of the grapes have been picked in the mean time. Last week we started monitoring the grapes in the school vineyard to decide when to pick. We have to make a red wine from Pinot Noir grapes in groups. I am working together on this project with a Russian girl and a Japanese guy and I think our group is very special, because of the different backgrounds and views on wine. From the start we agreed that we wanted to go the extra mile and so we have taken the extraordinary approach to try to make a Pinot Noir, but at the same time a Rose from these grapes. Therefore, we have to follow two separate procedures and although it will be extra work it will be far more interesting and a challenge! The test of the juice at the moment is perfect and we are confident that we are producing something that will be drinkable. From now on we have to monitor our product daily to be sure the process is going well.
In between the picking and crushing of the grapes I had to move houses again. Although, I did not have to, but I decided on moving somewhere where I had internet access and more space, so I have a real desk to do some work for school. The house itself is bigger as well, but here we live with four people in total, being the landlord, a classmate and a guy who works in a pub and two dogs. So, this weekend I am trying to settle down a bit and preparing for some tests that are upcoming this week.
There was a multicultural event in Blenheim organised by Migrant Support Marlborough this weekend where a lot of cultural groups performed. With my former flatmate I spent some time watching the different shows on stage - and for the first time the sun was not shining. It seems that autumn really is coming now. It feels already like a very long summer to me and I am enjoying that very much.
This week Marco will be travelling down to Blenheim for the first time, so he will be there during the official presentation of the Scholarship Award during a ceremony at the Institute on Thursday.
Cheers,
Anita
13/03/2008
Good news!
Hi all
Just a quick message from Blenheim this time after a very successful week at the NMIT (Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology). First of all on Wednesday we went on a field trip to one of the wineries where they just started up the vintage for their sparkling wines. We have been on this winery all day and doing things like emptying grates with grapes, cleaning grates, cleaning presses and listening to explanations of the whole process from grape receival to wine. Of course the best part of this day was the wine tasting itself. We tasted their first and second tier products and got to recognise the differences.
The next day we went on a tour on a vineyard that is owned by a French family. It was very interesting to see the compromises that are made here between the French and NZ philosophy of grape growing and wine making.
But the highlight of this week was that I have won a scholarship for part of my fees this year!! A few weeks ago I applied for this on basis of my particular situation here and my interest in the biodynamic way of grapegrowing. My ideas were good enough to grant me the scholarship and in a few weeks time there will be an official presentation of this. Of course I have to do some work for it as well. I will have to write progress reports and publications for a magazine. To me it is only an extra bonus! And hopefully after Easter I can start working on a biodynamic vineyard, so I can start learning more about this way of doing things. The biodynamics are not teached at the Institute, but I become more and more convinced of the fact that this is the way of the future (and should have been of the past!).
Sorry, this is a short message, but I am so excited and wanted to share it!!
Have a great weekend,
Anita
Just a quick message from Blenheim this time after a very successful week at the NMIT (Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology). First of all on Wednesday we went on a field trip to one of the wineries where they just started up the vintage for their sparkling wines. We have been on this winery all day and doing things like emptying grates with grapes, cleaning grates, cleaning presses and listening to explanations of the whole process from grape receival to wine. Of course the best part of this day was the wine tasting itself. We tasted their first and second tier products and got to recognise the differences.
The next day we went on a tour on a vineyard that is owned by a French family. It was very interesting to see the compromises that are made here between the French and NZ philosophy of grape growing and wine making.
But the highlight of this week was that I have won a scholarship for part of my fees this year!! A few weeks ago I applied for this on basis of my particular situation here and my interest in the biodynamic way of grapegrowing. My ideas were good enough to grant me the scholarship and in a few weeks time there will be an official presentation of this. Of course I have to do some work for it as well. I will have to write progress reports and publications for a magazine. To me it is only an extra bonus! And hopefully after Easter I can start working on a biodynamic vineyard, so I can start learning more about this way of doing things. The biodynamics are not teached at the Institute, but I become more and more convinced of the fact that this is the way of the future (and should have been of the past!).
Sorry, this is a short message, but I am so excited and wanted to share it!!
Have a great weekend,
Anita
29/02/2008
First vineyard experience
For the first time during the viticulture & wine making course we have been in the school vineyard. First of all we had to put nets on the vines to protect the grapes against the birds, who start eating the grapes when they get their color. Putting on nets is a very labour intensive job, which for us was a great change after the lessons in the class room. After this we had to collect different type of leaves to start learning about the shapes etc. and how the recognise the grape variety by the leaves. During one of the classes in wine production we started with sensory tests. We got several glasses filled with water to which all kind of flavour was added that we had to recognise. We also had to taste wine with additions to it. I have noticed that it is very difficult to recognise certain tastes and to describe them. And to try to taste differences in sugar levels etc. And after an hour of tasting the taste buds actually do get tired!! (or drunk?) If you do not believe it, please give it a try yourself.
We all really enjoy these classes, but after all these hands on classes are the reason we all came to Blenheim; not for the computer or chemistry classes, which unfortunately need to be taken as we
ll.
Then it was time to head home, to Wellington. So, I drove to Picton and took the plane to Wellington. The flight was quite bumpy and a few of the other 10 passengers were very shaky when we landed after 20 minutes. My first goal in Wellington was Courtenay Place, where I met Marco over a beer and later we were joined by some friends for some other beers and to watch the Rugby match on a big screen. So, on this Friday, after 3 bars, I have had my taste of Wellington again! It was great to catch up with friends.
We all really enjoy these classes, but after all these hands on classes are the reason we all came to Blenheim; not for the computer or chemistry classes, which unfortunately need to be taken as we
ll. 
Then it was time to head home, to Wellington. So, I drove to Picton and took the plane to Wellington. The flight was quite bumpy and a few of the other 10 passengers were very shaky when we landed after 20 minutes. My first goal in Wellington was Courtenay Place, where I met Marco over a beer and later we were joined by some friends for some other beers and to watch the Rugby match on a big screen. So, on this Friday, after 3 bars, I have had my taste of Wellington again! It was great to catch up with friends.
20/02/2008
Adapting to life in Blenheim
19 February 2008
‘Time flies when you’re having fun’ and it certainly flies in Blenheim. Though the pace of life is a lot slower here than in Wellington. And some of you might be surprised, but I am even loving this slower pace right now (could that be the age?)
Last weekend I have been working in the hotel that employed me on a casual basis. So, for the first time in my life I have been a waitress in a restaurant. This was during a wedding dinner with 100 guests and was a bit of a challenge, but everything went perfectly fine (I think!). However, I could not carry those 6 plates with food in one go and I was not that fast in clearing the tables, I was surprised of how easy the rest was. What was of great help, was that the people attending the dinner were great. Moreover, I have been doing two days of housekeeping in the hotel which was not too bad either. The equipment and the rooms were easier than the ones I was used to in the Coromandel. It is a very nice 5 star hotel close to Renwick, for anyone who is interested: http://www.mvh.co.nz/photos.html
And since I am now in the biggest wine growing area of New Zealand I had to change my picture on this blog (as you have seen) with thanks to the creator of this image: Hanneke Broekema, who is the first person together with her family who we met in The Netherlands during our emigration process to New Zealand. That was way back in April 2005. She is now living in Auckland and we have been in contact ever since. She knows much more about creative imaging, so I needed her help and I hope you all like it too.
In the meantime I have booked my first two trips back to Wellington After that Marco will come to Blenheim for a long weekend, so he can get a glimpse of my life here. Of course life in Blenheim is not as vibrant as life in Wellington, but I can imagine he will love this lifestyle as well.
20 February 2008
At school we are all still trying to get into the routine, but since the schedules are changing by the day and every day is a surprise again. Our Programme Leader started just two weeks before us, so she has to get into the routine as well. So, we never have a dull moment, or have we? We spend a lot of time waiting and hanging around at the campus which not a lot of us can enjoy.
We have visited the biggest winery of New Zealand this week. It was like being at one of the huge tank storage facilities for chemicals/oils that I was used to back in The Netherlands; the products in the tanks here, are however much better to drink!! If you are interested: http://www.montana.co.nz/index2.html
And we also really started this week with getting to know a bit more about the vines and grapes, so finally it is like we are at the right course. Apart from this we have classes in Science, Maths, Computing, which are all necessary to be able to work at a vineyard and/or winery. It actually is a nice combination of several subjects which most of us enjoy. However, already one person has withdrawn from the course, because it did not meet the expectations – although that had mainly to do with Blenheim. It is a bit of a culture shock when you are used to a big city.
Cheers
Anita
‘Time flies when you’re having fun’ and it certainly flies in Blenheim. Though the pace of life is a lot slower here than in Wellington. And some of you might be surprised, but I am even loving this slower pace right now (could that be the age?)
Last weekend I have been working in the hotel that employed me on a casual basis. So, for the first time in my life I have been a waitress in a restaurant. This was during a wedding dinner with 100 guests and was a bit of a challenge, but everything went perfectly fine (I think!). However, I could not carry those 6 plates with food in one go and I was not that fast in clearing the tables, I was surprised of how easy the rest was. What was of great help, was that the people attending the dinner were great. Moreover, I have been doing two days of housekeeping in the hotel which was not too bad either. The equipment and the rooms were easier than the ones I was used to in the Coromandel. It is a very nice 5 star hotel close to Renwick, for anyone who is interested: http://www.mvh.co.nz/photos.html
And since I am now in the biggest wine growing area of New Zealand I had to change my picture on this blog (as you have seen) with thanks to the creator of this image: Hanneke Broekema, who is the first person together with her family who we met in The Netherlands during our emigration process to New Zealand. That was way back in April 2005. She is now living in Auckland and we have been in contact ever since. She knows much more about creative imaging, so I needed her help and I hope you all like it too.
In the meantime I have booked my first two trips back to Wellington After that Marco will come to Blenheim for a long weekend, so he can get a glimpse of my life here. Of course life in Blenheim is not as vibrant as life in Wellington, but I can imagine he will love this lifestyle as well.
20 February 2008
At school we are all still trying to get into the routine, but since the schedules are changing by the day and every day is a surprise again. Our Programme Leader started just two weeks before us, so she has to get into the routine as well. So, we never have a dull moment, or have we? We spend a lot of time waiting and hanging around at the campus which not a lot of us can enjoy.
We have visited the biggest winery of New Zealand this week. It was like being at one of the huge tank storage facilities for chemicals/oils that I was used to back in The Netherlands; the products in the tanks here, are however much better to drink!! If you are interested: http://www.montana.co.nz/index2.html
And we also really started this week with getting to know a bit more about the vines and grapes, so finally it is like we are at the right course. Apart from this we have classes in Science, Maths, Computing, which are all necessary to be able to work at a vineyard and/or winery. It actually is a nice combination of several subjects which most of us enjoy. However, already one person has withdrawn from the course, because it did not meet the expectations – although that had mainly to do with Blenheim. It is a bit of a culture shock when you are used to a big city.
Cheers
Anita
08/02/2008
My start in Blenheim
9 February 2008
The last two weeks in Wellington I have been preparing for my move to Blenheim and today I did the packing. It is very strange to leave this city after living here for exactly two years; and it still is one of the best places to live in New Zealand - in my opinion. I might change my view after a while in Blenheim. Often it is also a lot about the people you meet and here in Wellington I have been lucky to get to know a lot of great people and thus making some valuable friendships. The last few weeks I was able to meet up with most of my friends over coffee or lunch and I have enjoyed every second of it.
Going to live in another town means I have to start all over again. Not only with meeting people, but this time my life will be totally different because I will be living without Marco and will lead a student life. It won’t be easy, but for me it is part of trying to settle into the NZ way of living.
11 February 2008
Yesterday I arrived in Blenheim in my new home. Luckily my flatmate was around so we have been around town already and could get to know each other a bit. She is a lovely girl/lady from India and I am sure we will have a good time. My landlady is great as well but she is not around that often.
Then I had my first day in school. The best thing about the class already is that we have the most amazing mix of people. We come from every continent in the world and from various backgrounds. A lot of the students have worked in other professions for years already (like me) and want to make a career change. It will be very interesting to get to know all these people. Of course a first day is a bit strange and not a lot is happening, but overall the first impression was a good one.
15 February 2008
It’s the end of the week and a lot has happened in the mean time. On Tuesday I had friends from Wellington visiting Blenheim. Unfortunately, I was only able to meet them in the evening, but we had a nice time in the (only) pub in town.
During the school days not a lot actually happens but we have to get used to a certain routine although at the moment there doesn’t seem to be any set scheme. Our daily/weekly plans change constantly, so we never know what to expect, so we just expect the unexpected and that’s good in a way. Although by now a few people start to complain about the institute not being organised properly. I don’t care yet, because I have expected it to be like this and will see what happens in the upcoming weeks. At least I know some very nice people already.
Apart from school I also need to find a job that brings a bit of money in. So, on Monday I started looking around and talking with people. In a hotel I was lucky. They were short of staff in housekeeping (in which I am very experienced in the mean time) and later on maybe also in front of house staff. So, although I mentioned I do not really like it, I took a cleaning job for this upcoming weekend and hoped that something else might come up as well. So, yesterday the manager phoned me and I have a waitress job tonight during a wedding at the hotel.
Apart from that I have a volunteer job this afternoon at the museum where a launch of the Wine Heritage Exhibition is held. This was organised by my landlady so I would be able to get to know the people in the field. That is great of course, because also here it is very important ‘who you know’ and ‘who knows you’.
So, at this moment I look back at a good start of my new life in Blenheim and I am confident that it is going to be a very interesting time.
Cheers
Anita
The last two weeks in Wellington I have been preparing for my move to Blenheim and today I did the packing. It is very strange to leave this city after living here for exactly two years; and it still is one of the best places to live in New Zealand - in my opinion. I might change my view after a while in Blenheim. Often it is also a lot about the people you meet and here in Wellington I have been lucky to get to know a lot of great people and thus making some valuable friendships. The last few weeks I was able to meet up with most of my friends over coffee or lunch and I have enjoyed every second of it.
Going to live in another town means I have to start all over again. Not only with meeting people, but this time my life will be totally different because I will be living without Marco and will lead a student life. It won’t be easy, but for me it is part of trying to settle into the NZ way of living.
11 February 2008
Yesterday I arrived in Blenheim in my new home. Luckily my flatmate was around so we have been around town already and could get to know each other a bit. She is a lovely girl/lady from India and I am sure we will have a good time. My landlady is great as well but she is not around that often.
Then I had my first day in school. The best thing about the class already is that we have the most amazing mix of people. We come from every continent in the world and from various backgrounds. A lot of the students have worked in other professions for years already (like me) and want to make a career change. It will be very interesting to get to know all these people. Of course a first day is a bit strange and not a lot is happening, but overall the first impression was a good one.
15 February 2008
It’s the end of the week and a lot has happened in the mean time. On Tuesday I had friends from Wellington visiting Blenheim. Unfortunately, I was only able to meet them in the evening, but we had a nice time in the (only) pub in town.
During the school days not a lot actually happens but we have to get used to a certain routine although at the moment there doesn’t seem to be any set scheme. Our daily/weekly plans change constantly, so we never know what to expect, so we just expect the unexpected and that’s good in a way. Although by now a few people start to complain about the institute not being organised properly. I don’t care yet, because I have expected it to be like this and will see what happens in the upcoming weeks. At least I know some very nice people already.
Apart from school I also need to find a job that brings a bit of money in. So, on Monday I started looking around and talking with people. In a hotel I was lucky. They were short of staff in housekeeping (in which I am very experienced in the mean time) and later on maybe also in front of house staff. So, although I mentioned I do not really like it, I took a cleaning job for this upcoming weekend and hoped that something else might come up as well. So, yesterday the manager phoned me and I have a waitress job tonight during a wedding at the hotel.
Apart from that I have a volunteer job this afternoon at the museum where a launch of the Wine Heritage Exhibition is held. This was organised by my landlady so I would be able to get to know the people in the field. That is great of course, because also here it is very important ‘who you know’ and ‘who knows you’.
So, at this moment I look back at a good start of my new life in Blenheim and I am confident that it is going to be a very interesting time.
Cheers
Anita
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