Cold climate wine grapes from the slopes of Switzerland are different to those grown in Riverina vineyards but a group of Swiss university students will be sampling the local wine during a visit to Charles Sturt University (CSU). CSU will be hosting 21 students from The University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Changins in Switzerland from Monday 25 June to Sunday 1 July. The students will take part in a wine tasting class at the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC)  , tour CSU research facilities and visit vineyards and wineries in Griffith. CSU Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science students will then join their Swiss counterparts on a tour of wine regions in Victoria and South Australia. It’s part of a Memorandum of Understanding between CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences  and UAS in Switzerland. “This kind of exchange gives our students greater understanding of grape growing and wine production in other parts of the world,” Professor in Viticulture Chris Steel said. “The knowledge gained through collaborative research will also be incorporated into courses here.”  CSU plans to return the visit to UAS in Switzerland in 2013.