Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Look who’s talking: cellar hand Rylee Funk
Marlborough lab technician and cellar hand Rylee Funk is the first person to graduate with a national qualification designed to upskill workers in the Kiwi wine industry.
24-year-old Funk worked at Lawson’s Dry Hills in Blenheim and recently completed the New Zealand Certificate in Cellar Operations Level 3, a qualification designed by Competenz to form a career pathway for cellar staff.
Originally from Canada, Funk was travelling New Zealand when she landed a temporary job at Lawson’s during the harvest. A few harvests later with some travel in between, she took up a permanent position in the winery.
How did you decide to get into the wine industry? I worked my first harvest at Lawson’s Dry Hills in 2015 then I came back 2016 and never left. So it was all bit accidental.
What is your favourite aspect of working in a winery? Tank cleaning and bottling. Just kidding. Tasting and harvest.
What motivated you to go after the qualification? What is the value of it to you? It seemed like it was a pretty easy option to learn on the job and turned out to really further my knowledge particularly around health and safety and compliance.
Do you have a favourite wine or a wine pairing? Burleigh Pork Belly Pie with the Lawson’s Pioneer Gewurztraminer. Or a good Chardonnay.
What was the most difficult part of the studies? As a Canadian learning about New Zealand’s wine history, it was all new to me.
Will you continue studying cellar operations, or are you aiming for a winemaker role? I’m certainly thinking about Level 4 but I’m also looking at other study options.