A little bit of Spain comes to ITT Dublin On Friday 20th February a little bit of Spanish sunshine descended on Tallaght when ITT Dublin hosted a visit from renowned winemaker Antonio Diez Martín from “Martín Berdugo Wines”. His winery is based in the heart of the Aranda/Ribera wine region of Northern Spain. Wine and Beverage Students from the International Hospitality and Tourism Management Degree participated in a tutored wine tasting led by the chief winemaker himself who had travelled from the popular familyowned vineyard. The visit was organised in conjunction with Dr Brónach Gollogly and the popular “Cultural X Change Initiative” based at ITT Dublin. Antonio Diez Martín was warmly greeted by both students and staff and he treated the group to a unique insight into Spanish wine culture and the wine making process. It is rare that students would have the opportunity to meet the actual winemaker as opposed to a representative and they took good advantage of the chance to ask questions and enhance their own subject knowledge in a very real way. For his part, Antonio Diez Martín was keen to recognise the obvious enthusiasm of the students and he pointed out the importance of educational experiences such as this in providing students with a real understanding of wine culture. The college looks forward to welcoming another visitor Linda Field, this time from “Rhone Valley Wines” in France next month. These visits play a very important role in helping shape the industryfocused education that the Institute of Technology Tallaght provides.