Generation Y-ine

KAT PICKFORD

A FASCINATION with the seemingly glamorous world of wine drew Dr Sachi Rana to the wine industry in New Zealand. “My first glimpse into the wine industry was on travel and lifestyle shows on television,” says the new research programme manager at Bragato Research Institute (BRI). “The food and wine looked so delicious and the lifestyle so glamorous - swirling glasses of wine in beautiful vineyards.”

Born in India, Sachi has a research background in biotechnology, specialising in nanotechnology - “teenytiny” particles which could provide potential solutions across many fields, including agriculture, medicine, textiles and engineering. Even fermentation, the science behind winemaking, is a form of biotechnology, says Sachi.

When she moved to New Zealand to study a postgraduate diploma in wine science, Sachi soon realised the reality of making wine was more about hard work and less about the perfect wine swirl. On her third day on Waiheke Island, she was given a pair of gumboots and put to work hand harvesting Chardonnay grapes on a chilly morning. It was a rude awakening for a researcher who “doesn’t do well with the cold’’, she says. “It was not what I expected at all, but it was a beautiful journey to begin with, on a beautiful island, with beautiful people - a very inclusive community.”

Sachi did internships in a number of wineries on Waiheke and in Auckland, soaking up everything she could learn about wine. After an internship with Pernod Ricard Winemakers, she picked up her first “proper wine job” working in a variety of roles in three locations around New Zealand for the multinational wine company. “It was a great company to get involved with, producing good quality wines with excellent systems and lots of opportunities to broaden my perception of the wine industry which has so many facets to it,” she says. “I learned the importance of quality and consistency across the entire value chain, from vineyard to the cellar to bottling, labeling, storage, logistics. The whole point of winemaking is lost if we err in any of these.”

Sachi took on the assistant winemaker’s role at Matahiwi Estate in Wairarapa in 2021, before moving to Blenheim to take a job with Indevin the following year. But when the role of research programme manager at BRI popped up, the opportunity to combine her two passions of research and wine was too good to miss. “I’ve always had an inquisitive mind and once you get into research, it’s really hard to get out of that mindset,” she says. “Having worked in wine production and experiencing the challenges and opportunities the industry has, I realise the potential for research to help find solutions and that’s something I need to be a part of.”

Always thirsty for more knowledge, Sachi has also embarked on the first stage of studying to be a Master of Wine and hopes to inspire other curious minds to enter the wine industry too. “All my work and experiences of the last seven years and everything I’ve learnt is going into the MW Programme. I’ve worked with so many people who have shared their time and knowledge with me, and my big wish is that one day I can pass that on to others.”