Remarkables Primary School was a picture of organised chaos yesterday afternoon, as about 300 children jumped into crates full of grapes and stomped on them.
Six to eight children at a time disinfected their feet before clambering into the crates, stomping, jumping and squealing as the grapes quickly began to disintegrate.
Within minutes, some children were waist deep in grape juice, being lifted out of the crates and cleaned off by teachers and parents.
It was the beginning of a process which will last about 14 months and result in the Remarkables "Squish Squash Squelch" wine going on sale as a fundraiser.
Remarkables Parents Association chairwoman Tracey Pederson said the entire school would be involved in the project in some way. The "inquiry from field to table" would be added to the school's curriculum for the second and third terms of this year, she said.
While the primary focus was on making the wine (pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir), the children would also learn to make cheese, bread, grape jelly and ginger beer.
Mrs Pederson said the pinot gris and sauvignon blanc wine would be ready for sale by the end of this year, while the "award-winning" pinot noir would be ready next May or June - and would probably be launched at a gala function, where it could be bought at auction.
The grapes, which were picked yesterday and delivered to the school by Mainfreight, had been given to the school by Amisfield, which would be making the wine, teaching the children about the process along the way.
Mrs Pederson said the school did not have a targeted figure for the fundraising, but expected it to be a "significant" amount.
"Being a new school, while it looks amazing, we have still got to put everything in it," Mrs Pederson said.
"It should be a significant boost for our resource centre - which is the new name for library."
