The big difference

From Treviso in Italy's Veneto region, the 18-year-old says winery machinery and winemaking processes are much the same in both countries but different vineyard practices reflect the local soils and climatic conditions.

Alessandro's counterpart at EIT, this year's New Zealand Bragato scholar Jascha Oldham-Selak, will have a like opportunity to check out similarities and differences when he travels to Italy in January.

A third-year student enrolled in the concurrent Bachelor of Wine Science and Bachelor of Viticulture, Jascha is looking forward to his first experience of old world wine making.

On his scholarship, Jascha will be visiting wine regions in the country's northeast and spending time at Romeo Bragato's alma mater in Conegliano.

Alessandra attends the same school of viticulture and oenology, which is based in a region known for its Prosecco, a sparkling white wine made from Glera grapes.

Visiting the Gisborne, Central Otago, Marlborough and Hawke's Bay wine regions, he sampled many of the styles associated with this country including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, Riesling, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec as well as a number of blends.

"The New Zealand wines are different," he says. They have more flavour, more alcohol and more body," he says.