TAFE NSW has claimed a slew of medals for its wine and meats at recent state and national awards.

TAFE NSW Gourmet Meats was awarded Gold medals for both Bacon and Ham at the Australian Meat Industry Council’s Charcuterie Excellence Awards in Melbourne, while TAFE NSW Kurri Kurri's own wine label has taken out Silver and Bronze at the recent NSW Small Winemakers Wineshow.

As well as taking the Gold medal for its Bacon and Ham, TAFE NSW Gourmet Meats were declared the overall national champions in Bacon, beating out 170 entries. TAFE NSW Head Teacher of Meat and Allied Trades, Ben Barrow, said students undertaking Certificate III in Retail Butchery and Small Goods Manufacturing were learning artisan techniques at the Granville campus’s state-of-the-art facility.

“We’re exposing students to artisan processes and the paddock-to-plate thesis, focusing on using the whole product. We also consistently incorporate consumer feedback, and this has surely contributed to our award wins.

“We’re very proud of the role our students have played in the production of our award-winning meats,” he said.

As a category winner at the Australian Meat Industry Council’s Charcuterie Excellence Awards, TAFE NSW Gourmet Meats will now be considered for an International Smallgoods Award during IFFA in Frankfurt in 2025.

Paired with its charcuterie awards, TAFE NSW’s Intuition 2018 Shiraz took Silver in the Shiraz 2020 Vintage or Older category up against 26 other exhibitors, while the Intuition 2023 Chardonnay Brut took Bronze amongst 21 entrants in the White, Red or Rose Sparkling Wine - Any Vintage category at the recent NSW Small Winemakers Show.

TAFE NSW Winemaking Teacher, Jane Hoppe, said it was a proud moment for the Diploma of Viticulture students.

"At vintage time each year, we bring in a few different batches of grapes and we encourage all students who might not have access to a winery in their workplace to come and be a part of the production of the wine.

"We assess our students during all these processes within the Diploma, but our onsite facility also offers them the direct hands-on experience to be part of every stage of the winemaking process. From selecting the grapes, fermentation, clarification, fining, filtration, and lab analysis to bottling and tasting notes, students get a touch on every part of creating the end product," she said.

"After the hands-on process, we bottle the wine under our label, Intuition, and sell it on campus at our training restaurant. People can also order it online and we sell it at many of the other TAFE NSW hospitality training facilities throughout the state.”

Alastair Tringham is one of the TAFE NSW Kurri Kurri Diploma of Viticulture students, who took a hand in creating the award-winning vintages.

"It's fantastic to have a facility like the one at TAFE NSW Kurri Kurri that gives students real hands-on experience with the winemaking process. We're also very lucky to have access to teachers with have extensive industry knowledge and experience," he said.

TAFE NSW Viticulture teacher and experienced winemaker, Peter Orr, said the course sets students up for success.

"At TAFE NSW, we prepare graduates to walk out of the classroom and into the winery with the knowledge and practical skills that make them truly job ready."

Media contact: Emily Graham, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, emily.graham40@tafensw.edu.au, 02 7921 3756.