Carmen(42)

At thirty-eight I had everything I was "supposed" to have: a good salary as a marketing manager at a multinational in Rotterdam, a bought apartment, a lease car. But I was deeply unhappy. During a holiday in South Australia I visited the Barossa Valley and fell in love — with the wine, the landscape and the way of life. I decided to change everything.

My plan was unorthodox: I quit, sold my apartment and enrolled in a Graduate Diploma in Oenology at the University of Adelaide. With a student visa (Subclass 500) I could study in Australia for two years. The course cost AUD 45,000 per year for international students — expensive, but it was my life's dream.

During the course I worked part-time at a winery in the Barossa as a cellar hand — the student visa allows you 48 hours of work per fortnight. I learned the basics of winemaking in practice: harvesting, pressing, fermenting, bottling. The Australian wine industry is high-tech but also traditional — in the Barossa some families have been making wine for six generations.

After my diploma I found a job as assistant winemaker at a medium-sized winery. They sponsored my Subclass 482 visa. Oenologists are on the skilled occupation list — a specific niche, but Australia needs them. My salary is AUD 75,000 per year, modest compared to my marketing salary, but I live among the vineyards and do work I love.

Life in the Barossa Valley is rural but not isolated. Adelaide is 45 minutes' drive. The community is tight — everyone knows each other through wine. There are farmers markets, cellar door tastings and festivals year-round. Rent for a cottage among the vineyards is AUD 380 per week. In Rotterdam I paid more for an apartment with a view of a construction site.

My lesson: it's never too late to start over. Yes, it cost me my savings, two years of study and lots of uncertainty. But at forty-two I wake up every morning with a smile. I make wine in the Barossa Valley. How many people can say that?