Otago Polytechnic's Cromwell campus and the Central Otago Winegrowers Association organise the exchange as a joint initiative.
This is the fourth time students from a viticulture institution at Beaune in the wine-growing region of Burgundy have travelled to Central Otago as part of their studies.
Otago Polytechnic Cromwell campus manager Jean Tilleyshort said the four students spent this week visiting vineyards and wineries throughout Wanaka and the Cromwell basin, learning grape-growing techniques and the principles behind wine tourism.
"It gives them a really good overview of the different things we do over here, what our climate is like, and how vineyards and wineries are involved in wine tourism which doesn't happen so much in France," she said.
Yesterday the students visited vineyards in Bannockburn, Bendigo, and Wanaka on their final day of the week-long polytechnic course.
Mrs Tilleyshort said the students arrived in Central Otago on Monday and would be balloted to four vineyards to help with the grape harvest during the next month.
Felton Road, Mt Difficulty, Olssen's, and Rippon would each put a student to work, she said.
In exchange, three or four students from the polytechnic's Cromwell campus viticulture course would travel to Beaune for a similar programme during August and September.
Mrs Tilleyshort said the annual international exchange would be formally recognised by French and New Zealand officials during a ceremony later this month.
On April 26 and 27, the polytechnic would welcome representatives from Beaune's viticulture institution, who would sign an official exchange agreement with their New Zealand counterparts.
It was hoped the French ambassador to New Zealand would be able to attend the ceremony, at which the Burgundy students would also be present, Mrs Tilleyshort said.