Viticulture & Oenology
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Undergraduate Study

BScAgric programme outline and structure in Viticulture and Oenology

 

Programme description​

The 4-year bachelor's programme in Grape and Wine Sciences leads to the qualification BScAgric.

Grape and Wine Sciences covers the vine and its organs and integrates this knowledge in the scientific manipulation of the plant for the creation, in harmony with the environment, of sustainable product types which can be used to produce unique wines. Furthermore, it deals with the integration of a thorough understanding of the chemical and biological processes involved in the making of wine and brandy products in order to ensure the sustainability of the natural resources. In this field you will be prepared for a career in the grape and wine industries.

Industry training in Wine Production Systems​

If you are following the BScAgric programme with Viticulture and Oenology as majors you must complete compulsory practical work in both major subjects. Practical work in Viticulture and Oenology entails mainly practical work from the end of the third year to the middle of the fourth year in grape vineyards and pertains to pruning during winter, canopy management during summer and working in a commercial wine cellar. The Department of Viticulture and Oenology will provide specific minimum qualifications pertaining to the number of weeks you must spent on these aspects. These work programmes are cleared in consultation with lecturers in the Department of Viticulture and Oenology and you must pass both modules (Viticulture and Oenology 478) associated with the internship in order to qualify for the degree BScAgric.

To enable you to perform practical work during the harvest season, as a final-year student, you will be excused from lectures until the second semester.

Please note: The University is not liable for any injury that you may sustain during industry training or for any claims that may result from such injury.

The prescribed modules of the various years of study for each field are set out below. The module contents are given in the chapter “Subjects, Modules and Module Content" of this Calendar part.

 

More information is available on the following websites:

·       www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/agri/departments1/viticulture-oenology (Department of Viticulture and Oenology)

·       www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/agri/institutes-centres/institute-for-wine-biotechnology (Institute for Wine Biotechnology)

 

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Admission requirements​​

    1. School-leaving qualifications

For admission to the University you need:

  • A National Senior Certificate (NSC) or school-leaving certificate from the Independent Examination Board as certified by Umalusi with admission to bachelor's (which requires that you obtain a mark of at least 4 (50-59%) in each of four designated university admission subjects); or
  • A university exemption certificate issued by the South African Matriculation Board to students with other school qualifications.
    1. Minimum admission requirements for the Faculty's degree programmes
  • In addition to the abovementioned school-leaving qualifications, the admission requirements for the programmes BScAgric, BScFor, BScConsEcol, BSc Food Sc and BAgricAdmin are as follows:
    • An average performance level of 60% in the NSC or the IEB's school-leaving certificate (excluding Life Orientation), or other school qualification;
    • English or Afrikaans (Home Language or First Additional Language) – 4 (50%);
    • Mathematics – 5 (60%); and
    • Physical Sciences (Physics and Chemistry) – 4 (50%).

 

 

http://www.sun.ac.za/english/maties/Documents/AgriSciences.pdf

 

Subjects, Modules and Module Content

Example:

55565 AGRONOMY
32416Pasture management3L,3P

55565 is the subject number; it refers to the subject Agronomy.

324(16) (the 16 will normally be written in brackets) is the module code of the module Agronomy 324(16) with the module subject: Pasture management.

The module code 324(16) has the following meaning:

·       First digit: 3 - refers to the year of study in which the module is presented.

·       Second digit: 2 - is a number to discriminate between modules of the same subject in the same year of study and refers to the semester (unless stated otherwise), according to the following pattern:

·       1, 2 of 3: modules offered in the first semester;

·       4, 5 of 6: modules offered in the second semester;

·       7, 8 of 9: modules offered over two semesters, i.e. a year module

·       Third digit: 4 - has no specific meaning, but can be used to discriminate between different modules of the same subject in the same semester of the same year of study.

·       The number in the second square (otherwise in brackets) (16) - indicates the credit value of the module. Agronomy 324(16) is therefore offered as a module during the first semester of the third year and a student will acquire 16 credits on completion.

·       The teaching load of each module is indicated in brackets.

The following abbreviations are used:

·       L              - lectures lasting 50 minutes each (e.g. 1L, 2L)

·       P              - practical periods lasting 50 minutes each (e.g. 1P, 2P, 3P)

·       S              - seminar lasting 50 minutes (e.g. 1S)

·       T              - tutorials lasting 50 minutes each (e.g. 1T, 2T)

Requisites

After the description of the content of the module, the prerequisite pass, prerequisite and/or corequisite module(s) are/is given for that module. The following abbreviations are used:

·       PP- Prerequisite Pass module.

·       P- Prerequisite module.

·       C- Corequisite module.

The following definitions apply:

·A prerequisite pass module is a module which students must have passed before they are allowed to take the module(s) for which it is a  prerequisite pass module.

 A prerequisite module is a module in which students must have achieved a class mark of at least 40, or a final mark of at least 40 in the  case  of a module subject to continuous assessment, before they are allowed to take the module for which it is a prerequisite module.

·A corequisite module is a module which students must take in the same academic year as the module for which it is a corequisite, 

or in an earlier academic year.

·       Note: No qualification will be awarded unless the candidate has passed all the relevant prerequisite and corequisite modules.

 

BScAgric Viticulture and Oenology (General)

14052 Crop Production

152 (8) Introduction to applied plant science (1.5L, 1.5P)

Classification systems and classification of agricultural crops; structure of plants of agricultural significance; plant growth regulators; ecological principals and introductory agricultural ecology.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

13872 Grapevine Sciences

214 (12) Grapevine plant materials and their growth and metabolism (2L, 3P)

Grapevine resources for wine and table grape production (rootstock and scion cultivars and varieties); ampelography; seasonal cycles; vine growth and metabolism.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

244 (16) Resource allocation and physiology of grapevines (3L, 3P)

Resource allocation and physiology of grapevines, the latter including vegetative, reproductive, ripening and stress physiology.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Prequisite module: Grapevine Sciences 214

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

312 (8) Table and raisin grape production (2L, 3P)

The global industries. Climate and other requirements for table and raisin grape production. Cultivars, rootstocks, nursery vine quality. Vegetative and reproductive development. Trellis systems and vine development. Production practices linked to the seasonal cycle of the grapevine (pruning, dormancy management, canopy management, crop control, bunch preparation). External and internal fruit quality. Maturity indexing, harvest and post-harvest practices. Compiling production, harvest and post-harvest plans for two table grape cultivars (one labour intensive and one not labour intensive) OR for two raisin grape cultivars. Case study of a commercial unit's implementation of a production plan, as well as the harvest and post-harvest processes of these two cultivars.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Co-requisite modules: Grapevine Sciences 214, 244, 314

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

314 (12) Grapevine improvement/propagation, establishment and cultivation practices (2L, 3P)

The improvement and propagation of grapevine material, grapevine development and the maintenance of grapevines through pruning. Detailed knowledge of nursery practices, grapevine planting and training, and pruning systems and their application in different scenarios will be shared.

Prerequisite module: Grapevine Sciences 214 and 244

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

344 (12) Trellising systems and canopy management: pests, disease and abnormalities (2L, 3P)

The basis for choosing the appropriate training/trellising system and the appropriate canopy management programme. The identification of pests, diseases and abnormalities (including nutrient deficiency/toxicity) is covered, along with appropriate interventions.

Corequisite module: Grapevine Sciences 314

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

444 (16) Advanced viticulture (3L, 3T, 3P)

This module provides a theoretical and practical basis for identifying and managing variability within vineyards, with a focus on maximising yield and quality while minimising environmental impacts by optimizing the use of natural resources (soil and water) and chemical applications (fertilizers, and pesticides and herbicides). The implementation of this concept is accomplished by the analysis of local variation in factors that influence grapevine yield and quality (soil, topography, microclimate, vine health, vegetative growth, etc.) using remote sensing techniques (proximal sensors, aerial platforms and satellites) in combination with geographic information system (GIS) and basic geostatistics principles for generating spatial variability maps of the vineyards.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Prequisite module: Grapevine Sciences 344

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

452 (8) Grape farming systems and business models (2L, 3P)

Table and raisin grape production systems to produce table grapes/raisins for desired quality and market requirement outcomes. Market access 2-day accredited short course (including GLOBALGAP or similar quality traceability system), compiling production, harvest and post-harvest plans for a commercial unit. Case study of a commercial unit's implementation of a production plan, as well as the harvest and post-harvest processes.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Prequisite module: Grapevine Sciences 314, 344

Corequisite module: Grapevine Sciences 444

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

13710 Grapevine and Wine Sciences

142 (8) Introduction to grapevine and wine sciences (1.5L, 1.5P)

Basic grape morphology and production directions. Wine grape cultivars. An introduction to the composition of grapes, must and wine, as well as micro-organisms in winemaking. The fundamentals of alcoholic fermentation, winery equipment and production methods. An introduction to wine styles and wine evaluation.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

212 (8) Introduction to grapevine and wine microbiology (1.5L, 1.5P)

History of wine microbiology, description of micro-organisms associated with the grapevine and wine environments and practical ways to isolate, identify and manage their growth, basic biochemical pathways pertaining to wine fermentation.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

278 (8) Practical Project (1): Integrated grapevine and wine sciences (2L, 2P)

Application of viticultural and oenological knowledge contained in first- and second-year modules in which critical academic skills are demonstrated. Presentation of a photographic/electronic portfolio, a literature review, a vineyard plan and a wine tasting.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

378 (16) Practical Project (2): Integrated grapevine and wine sciences (2L, 2P)

Application of viticultural and oenological knowledge contained in second- and third-year modules in which critical academic skills are demonstrated. Presentation of scientific reports, portfolios, process flow charts, compliant wine labels, a basic marketing plan and a wine tasting.

Prerequisite modules: Grapevine and Wine Sciences 278

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

444 (8) International terroir and wines (2L, 3P)

This module introduces the student to the terroir concept in grapevine and wine science, and explores viticultural management practices and wine style decision-making under 'normal' and rapidly -changing climatic conditions. It introduces the main characteristics (typicality) of international and local wines associated with specific terroirs.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Prerequisite modules: Grapevine Sciences 344

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

 

454 (8) The Future of Wine (2L, 3P)

The module will provide an overview of the drivers of change in the wine industry, the relevance of innovation in the context of a changing world, the process of innovation, and evaluation of technologies that have the potential to disrupt the current attitudes and practices in the wine industry.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

478 (60) Industry Internship (3T, 3P)

This module utilises a work-integrated learning strategy to enhance practical viticultural and winemaking experience in the industry under the guidance of academic and industry mentors. Experience in all aspects of cellar and vineyard management. Identification and design of a scientific research project or system in the workplace. Working in teams and individually to manage vines, monitor ripening, produce wine, conduct experiment, write a project report and present results and write a reflection on experience.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Prerequisite Pass modules:

·       Grapevine Sciences 214, 244, 314, 344

·       Wine Sciences 214, 244, 314, 344

·       Grapevine and Wine Sciences 278, 378

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

13890 Wine Sciences

214 (16) Introduction to wine industry (3L, 3P)

The South African wine industry, consumers and products in context. Wine-of-Origin system, legislation and regulations, including labelling. Workplace health and safety in a winemaking context. Principles of sustainable wine production.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

244 (16) Wine styles and sensory evaluation (3L, 3P)

Wine evaluation systems, working in a formal tasting environment, effective communication to wine consumers in tasting rooms (service-learning). Wine components, wine scoring, descriptive analysis and the appropriateness of different sensory tests. Consumer preferences and issues. Traditional and non-traditional wine markets. Wine styles: importance in winemaking, and the process of wine production for various styles, including legislation around permissible additives. Brandy, sparkling, sherry and other production systems.

Prerequisite module: Wine Sciences 214

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

314 (16) Grape processing and wine production (3L, 3P)

Principles and practices of winemaking will be discussed and implemented producing different wine styles. Harvesting of the grapes; grape processing; use of different winemaking technologies; addition of processing agents; management of alcoholic and malolactic fermentations; handling of problem fermentations.

Prerequisite modules: Grapevine and Wine Sciences 212; Wine Sciences 244

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

344 (16) Wine stabilization, clarification, bottling and faults (3L, 3P)

Principles and techniques for wine clarification, stabilisation and bottling will be discussed. Wine faults: prevention, origins and treatments. Wine tasting and analyses.

Prerequisite module: Wine Sciences 314

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

 

446 (24) Biochemistry of wine flavours (3L, 3T, 3P)

Integrated and comprehensive study of fermentation-derived aroma compound production. The biochemistry of wine-relevant organisms (yeasts and lactic acid bacteria). The role of phenolics, polysaccharides, ageing, oxidation and wood derived compounds in wine.

Method of assessment: Flexible assessment

Prerequisite module: Wine Sciences 314, 344

Home department: Viticulture and Oenology

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