Dr Don Martin Sustainable Viticulture Scholarship

So..

The $10,000 Don Martin Sustainable Viticulture Fellowship was initiated to commemorate influential Tasmanian viticulturist, Dr Don Martin. The Fellowship is available to Tasmanian-based practicing professionals working in Tasmania's wine sector to encourage research across viticulture / oenology. Its intent is to provide an individual with the opportunity to undertake national or international travel for study or practical activities that will benefit the Tasmanian wine sector through innovation, sustainability and best practice.

The Fellowship was possible through a generous bequest from Dr Martin to the Alcorso Foundation, a great friend of Claudio Alcorso both of them sharing a passion about improving wine grapes grown in Tasmania.  Through this fellowship Dr Martin's bequest provides valuable opportunity for individuals in the Tasmanian wine sector to explore leading sustainable practices outside Tasmania and share that knowledge for the benefit of the broader Tasmanian wine sector.

And the inaugural winner is ... me.

So the proposal that I have put forward is that I will:

• Attend the workshop “The Biocontrol of Plant Disease” hosted by the International Organisation for Biological Control. This will be in Reims, France, 25-27 June 2012
• Complete 2 -3 stagiares with producers from Burgundy and Alsace. Each placement would be of 1 - 2 weeks duration.  

It is a great opportunity for me and an honour to be an ambassador for the Tasmanian wine industry.


I was presented this award by the Premier of Tasmania, Lara Giddings, at the annual Alcorso Foundation Dinner.  And boy what a dinner it was, with guest Chef Nicolas Poelaert of Melbourne's famed Embrasse.  Here is the menu:


Lightly steamed Tasmanian salmon, smoked olive, nettle juice, old way pickles, cereal bread

Braised beef cheeks in ink, burnt carrot puree, asparagus, rice vinegar, pomme croquete

Praline mousse, desiree potato, nougatine, sheep's milk yoghurt, banana 

And desert was amazing, it was plated at the bar.  Before I tell you what it was, here is the sequence photos.

And the desert was simply called Embrasse Restaurant forest floor

Here is a copy of my thank you speech:

I would first of all like to thank the sponsors Wine Tasmania, Plasdene GlassPak and the Wine Business Magazine for their generous support.  Without support of organisations like these, awards like this cannot take place.

I would like to thank the Premier for presenting this award.  The Tasmanian Wine Industry is in a unique position, with demand outstripping supply, and amazingly high quality.  With the Governments continued support the Tasmanian Wine Industry can be truly cemented as one of Australia’s great wine regions.

I would also like to thank the Alcorso Foundation for this scholarship.  It is a huge opportunity for me and I understand that it comes with a huge responsibility that I will dutifully uphold.

Thank you goes also to my 2 referees, my boss Greg Melick, and my uncle Dr Richard Smart.  I don’t know what you said in the application about me, but it must have worked.

But my biggest thank you goes to my wife, Greer Carland.  You are my muse.

Thank you