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Remarkables School pupils Mara Bentley (left) and Gabrielle Kyllonen (both 5) crush grapes with their feet at the school yesterday, in the first stage of a wine-making process which will last 14 months. The wine, which will be sold to raise funds for the school, will be called ``Squish Squash Squelch``. Photo by Tracey Roxburgh. |
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."
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