And Marlene Günther (27) feels very honoured to have the gruner veltliner wine named after her.
"It's very special, sitting with a glass of your own wine at the end of the day, and I've put some effort into this wine, helping with the thinning and the harvest, so this vintage will be even more special," she said.
Miss Gunther stayed with Crawford and Catherine Brown in Dunedin as an AFS student for almost a year when she was 17, attending Queen's High School.
The couple had already established the Bannock Brae Estate vineyard at Bannockburn, planting mostly pinot noir grapes, and often spent the weekend camped at the vineyard.
"One day, two cases of gruner veltliner wine arrived -courtesy of Marlene's Mum and Dad in Vienna, and that was our first introduction to the wine," Mr Brown said.
gruner veltliner is the most widely planted grape variety in Vienna, but a decade ago, it was not one of the varieties grown in New Zealand.
"We enjoyed it and discovered it was grown in similar conditions to here, so made some inquiries about getting some to plant.
"We found it was already being grown in a North Island nursery, under quarantine, and we put our names down for some."
It took several years before the plants were released and Bannock Brae was one of 12 wineries in the country, three in Central Otago, to receive some.
The Browns now live on their vineyard and Miss Gunther was among the crew harvesting the second vintage off their 1000 gruner veltliner vines last week.
The crop is expected to produce about 200 cases (2400 bottles) and the wine is named after their Austrian "daughter" - Marlene's gruner Veltliner.
It will be released in November and is described as a "multi-dimensional" white wine with the acidity of a riesling.
The first crop off the grapes last year produced 70 cases (840 bottles) which has sold out.
"Even red wine lovers think it's worth it and people say it could be the new savvy [sauvignon blanc] for New Zealand, so it's fascinating for us to be pioneering that," Mr Brown said.
Miss Gunther has completed a masters in agricultural science degree at Bodenkultur University in Vienna - the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences.
Viticulture formed part of her studies, and cheese-making is another of her passions.
She has been in Bannockburn since November and plans to return to Austria after the harvest.
"I feel a bit sad to be leaving and it will be a culture shock to return back to the city.
"New Zealand has so much to offer. I like the relaxed lifestyle here and the way you are more tuned in to nature and appreciate the small things in life.
"After spending five weeks touring the South Island, I had tears in my eyes when I got closer to Central Otago; it felt like coming home."
She has yet to decide what the immediate future holds for her, "but I might be back here next year for the harvest, who knows ... "
