Passion for wine takes Hawke's Bay student off to Italy | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

Just lately, when Christine and Sophie Harris relax with a glass of Hawke's Bay red in hand, the conversation between mother and daughter turns to la dolce vita.

That's because 23-year-old Sophie has just been named this year's New Zealand winner of the Bragato Student Exchange Scholarship which will take her to Italy for a month to explore wine regions and learn more about the country's bountiful wine culture.

Established in 2003 to honour the man celebrated as the Father of New Zealand Viticulture, the scholarship fosters the link between EIT and the Scuola di Viticoltura di Conegliano where Romeo Bragato attended school.

Mother and daughter have a passion for wine, which they have pursued in their studies - Christine trained in viticulture while Sophie is working towards becoming a winemaker.

They share a connection through EIT where Christine lectures part-time and Sophie is into the second year of a bachelor of wine science degree.

Well-travelled, Christine has already spent time in Italy and most recently visited the country in 2007.

Sophie's career choice was not about following in her mother's footsteps. A keen dancer, she launched into a bachelor of performing arts in Auckland after leaving school but didn't feel confident that it was for her.

Working two vintages - one in Marlborough and one in Hawke's Bay - convinced her making wine was what she wanted to do in life.

"Getting behind the scene in wineries opened my eyes a bit and I got more involved."

Christine has taken a different path. She worked in a Government department for some years and decided to go back to study after being made redundant.

Sophie was 9 at the time, but her solo mother says that didn't seem too daunting given that EIT is just a 15-minute drive away from their Napier home. "I could still get involved in my daughter's school activities."

Staircasing from a certificate in grapegrowing and winemaking, Christine was one of the first two to complete EIT's then newly-established bachelor of viticulture degree and she has since gone on to work in a number of roles in the industry.

She works at Askerne winery, mainly in cellar door and sales, and couples that with lecturing at EIT and serving on the Hawke's Bay Winegrowers' promotions board.

Sophie, meanwhile, keeps a foot in the door with dance. She was in the Napier Operatic Society's recent production of 42nd Street and Theatre Hawke's Bay's West Side Story.

Mother and daughter enjoy comparing impressions when they share a bottle of wine, but they do have divergent tastes. A self-confessed "bubbles girl", Christine loves champagne, particularly if it happens to be Veuve Clicquot.

Sophie is moving more into reds and is looking forward to sampling what Italy has to offer over the coming summer study break.