The 10th graduating class of the Wine Campus Neustadt enters the wine industry
"We are particularly proud of this year's class," says Prof. Dominik Durner, head of the dual Bachelor's degree program in Viticulture & Enology. Out of a total of four years of study at Wine Campus Neustadt, almost two years were overshadowed by the CoViD pandemic. "Nevertheless, these young people have proven that they can stick together and perform even under the most difficult conditions." It was important to the Wine Campus Neustadt that this year's graduating class could be given a festive send-off despite rising incidences. A total of 38 Bachelor's graduates and 10 Master's graduates were celebrated on 26 November with a final sensory lecture in the auditorium of the Rural Area Service Center (DLR) Rhenish Palatinate and a de luxe wine t asting.
Originally, a graduation ceremony with relatives and guests of honor was planned for this day at the Herrenhof in Mußbach. The ongoing CoViD pandemic then led to a smaller-scale farewell at short notice. Only the graduates were allowed to come together at the Wine Campus.
Nevertheless, representatives from politics and the wine industry did not miss the opportunity to congratulate the graduates live via Zoom or to send video greetings and messages of welcome. The reigning German Wine Queen Sina Erdrich also joined in live and wished the new generation of Oenologists every success for the start of their careers.
As the highlight of the farewell ceremony, six graduates were honored for their outstanding academic achievements: Anna Jaeger received the award for best graduate, Paul Clauß for best graduate. Daria Viel was also honored for the best Bachelor's thesis in Viticulture, Georg Lutz for the best Bachelor's thesis in Enology and Eva Maria Loersch for the best Bachelor's thesis in Business Administration/Marketing. Ole Kohlmann received the prize for the best MBA degree.
Prize winners:
Best Bachelor's thesis in viticulture - Daria Viel
Thesis: "Comparison of different summer greening variants and seedbed preparations in viticulture"
Best Bachelor's thesis in Enology - Georg Lutz
Thesis: "Bioprotection - Suppression of Gluconobacter through the use of wild yeasts, chitosan and lysozyme to reduce SO2"
Best Bachelor's thesis in Business Administration/Marketing - Eva Maria Loersch
Thesis: "Successfully designing virtual events: An experimental study using the example of online wine tasting"
Best graduate: Anna Jaeger
Thesis: "Analysis of changing wine market structures with a focus on the development of the commission agent business and its future prospects using the example of Rhineland-Palatinate"
Best graduate: Paul Clauß
Thesis: "Comparison of the effect of a copper preparation on shoots and leaves and evaluation of new plant protection products to reduce copper-containing preparations"
Best graduate MBA: Ole Kohlmann
Thesis: "Wines made from fungus tolerant grape varieties: drivers of preference and consumption benefits among European consumers"
