Fulbright scholarship to study Australian-American wine history connections
Dr Julie McIntyre will travel to the University of California to study Australian - American wine history. Read more
We engage with industry and other organisations to:
Since the 1990s wine growing, winemaking, trade, consumption, and tourism have emerged as drivers of regional economies globally and cultural signifiers of social status in a globalised world. Our researchers create new knowledge about the role of wine in society, especially social equity in the industry. We bring new perspectives to industry problems.
Wine producing businesses and employees are often clustered in regions. Our industry collaborations aim to achieve better futures for regional communities. The proximity of the University of Newcastle's Callaghan, Ourimbah and Port Macquarie campuses to the Hunter Valley and Hastings Valley vineyards and wineries enables a regional focus and we welcome inter-regional, national and international collaborations in wine studies.
Vines, Wine and Identity: The Hunter Valley NSW and Changing Australian Taste was supported by the Australia Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project scheme. This project was undertaken in partnership with the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association (HVWTA) and the Newcastle Museum.
HVWTA is a non-profit incorporated association and the peak body for Hunter Valley wine businesses. The association values our research – as it recorded and preserved the oral history of Hunter wine industry elders, produced an intellectually grounded and reliable history of Hunter wine, and identified heritage sites and vines. We brought also brought these stories together in a significant exhibition at Newcastle Museum (August 2018 to January 2019). The exhibition audience was over 64,000 visitors.
The Newcastle Museum is one of Australia's leading regional museums with a mission to collect, preserve and interpret objects and stories for and about Newcastle and the Hunter; providing access to these in an innovative, inspiring, and engaging way.
The Museum values our collaboration to provide knowledge of the region's wine industry and its history. Our project provided an opportunity for the Museum to actively collaborate as a Partner Investigator and benefit from an untapped archive of artefacts at their doorstep.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.