Originally from Zimbabwe and raised in Auckland, Harry Watson moved to Marlborough from Waiheke Island when Adam McCone recruited him to join the Spy Valley Viticulture Team. McCone commented: “Joining the Spy team at the Johnson Estate Vineyards gives you the opportunity to work with vines as old as 30 years, plant new vines, and work with varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. The estate focuses on practicing sustainable wine growing and caring for the land. It's a great opportunity for a young 21-year-old looking to grow a career in viticulture."
And just after a few months of working for Spy Valley Wines Harry got the opportunity to participate in the 2024 young viticulturist competition, this is his experience:
“I had known about the Young Viticulturist competition for a while just through word of mouth and thought it sounded like a great thing to participate in. The competition pretty much tests every aspect of your knowledge on running a vineyard, covering things like machinery operations, irrigation, and budgeting.
To prepare for the competition, I received a lot of support from the Spy Valley vineyard crew, especially with practical aspects like pruning and irrigation. For the theory modules, I spent a lot of time going over flash cards, textbooks, and research papers. Attending industry events like Grape Days and Wine Pro also helped expand my knowledge.
The most challenging part of the preparation process was deciding how much time to dedicate to each module. Working in the vineyard requires such a broad range of skills that it’s impossible to become a master in each aspect quickly, so I had to focus on the things I don't usually do every day at work.
One of the competition highlights was having the support of the vineyard crew at the Horti-sports and the awards dinner. I think I levelled-up my pruning knowledge and ability the most, and I also grew my knowledge of vine nutrition and pest and diseases.
Working in the vineyard, your notion of how much you think you know can change very quickly, especially at an early stage in your career like mine. So always being open-minded and ready to learn and apply new skills is key if you want to grow.
The biggest challenge I faced during the competition was the speech. I was really nervous before it, but once you get up there and start talking, you just fall to the level of your preparation and the nerves leave after that.
During the interview module, they asked us a few questions that really put me on the spot, like "if you could get rid of any New Zealand wine region, which one would it be?" and "What is the biggest challenge the New Zealand wine industry faces?"
Participating in the competition expanded my connections within the viticulture community. I met loads of important people that I wouldn't have otherwise interacted with. One of my mentors, Zac Howell, was a previous winner of the Marlborough competition. He was a huge help during competition prep and one of the big motivators for me to participate in the first place.
This experience has influenced my career goals in the viticulture industry by giving me time to reflect on where my career can go now that I have all these new skills, and how far I could go if I continued to work this hard. I definitely want to compete again, hoping to learn even more and make new connections.
My advice for future participants: Just do it, it’s definitely worth the effort.”
