HX-VO-07
BSc Precision Viticulture & Oenology
Growing and making wine with data: block-level vineyard management, irrigation scheduling and winemaking decisions backed by measurement.
Overview
A block of vines is not one thing. Precision starts by admitting that.
The valley’s oldest industry is being rebuilt around measurement. In this degree you learn the agronomy and the winemaking, and then you learn how to see variation inside a block: through sap analysis, canopy sensors, yield maps and small-lot ferments that let you taste the difference a management decision made.
You will work harvest in the Hex Valley and in Stellenbosch, run trials on partner farms, and spend your final year on a commercial wine or table-grape estate. Graduates leave able to argue about irrigation scheduling and fermentation temperature in the same conversation, with numbers to support both.
- Vineyard establishment, canopy management and yield physiology
- Water relations and deficit irrigation scheduling
- Grape and wine chemistry, sensory analysis and small-lot winemaking
- Yield estimation from imagery and ground truth calibration
- Harvest logistics, cold chain and winery data capture
Curriculum
What the three years look like
Year 1
Vine and soil
Viticulture fundamentals · Soil science · Plant physiology · Applied statistics · Cellar practice I · Field practice I
Year 2
Wine and variation
Oenology and fermentation science · Irrigation and water management · Precision viticulture technology · Sensory analysis · Field practice II
Year 3
Commercial application
Estate management and economics · Yield forecasting and quality mapping · Winery operations and data · Industry placement (12 weeks) · Research project
Entry requirements
Bachelor of Science · NQF 7
- National Senior Certificate with an APS of 28 or above
- Mathematics and Physical Sciences at level 4 (50%)
- Chemistry at level 4 is strongly recommended
- Willingness to work harvest shifts, including nights
Where it leads
BSc Precision Viticulture & Oenology
- Viticulturist or assistant winemaker on a commercial estate
- Precision farming specialist for a producer group
- Technical sales and support in viticulture technology
- Postgraduate research in viticulture, oenology or plant science
Next step
Applications for 2027 are open
Applications close 30 September 2026 for the February 2027 intake. Late applications are considered while places remain.