Winemaking (Enology) Program Code 103202

Employment Potential

A graduate of this program will have the basic skills necessary to own and operate or be employed at a Winery as a:

. Winemaker

. Winemaking Assistant

. Cellar Worker

. Tasting Room Host

With additional education and/or work experience, graduates may find other opportunities for employment.

. Scientific Industry, Laboratory
. Food Science Industry – Food Safety

Note

. NWTC is a member of VESTA, a partnership of colleges nationwide that together deliver online Enology (winemaking) and Viticulture (grape growing) education. VESTA is formally referred to as the Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance. More information is on the VESTA website www.vesta-usa.org.
. Students desiring to earn an Associate Degree in Winemaking (Enology) must apply for admission to NWTC and must take a minimum of 25% of technical core courses at NWTC.
. The VESTA online courses, identifiable by "VIN" in front of the course code are provided by partner colleges other than NWTC, and have a separate admission and registration process. Details of the process are on the VESTA website www.vesta-usa.org.
. Most VESTA courses require a field practicum. Practicum sites throughout the state are listed on the VESTA website. Students may propose a new practicum site if they find a willing and eligible winery.
. Some courses have a minimum age requirement.
Certain courses have a practicum workshop as a requirement. Workshop locations will vary and typically will be out of state. Refer to the VESTA website for more information www.vesta-usa.org.
. Further information on VESTA can be found on the website www.vesta-usa.org.

Program Outcomes

. Examine grape samples to ascertain sweetness and acidity of crop, and determine harvest time based off of this information.
. Select yeasts for fermentation and barrels for aging.
. Communicate with vineyard manager regarding crop load, harvest time, and other issues related to crop quality.
. Correct sugar and acid levels of must and wine if necessary.
. Oversee primary fermentation by punching down the grape skin cap, regulating fermentation temperature and the amount of time the skins are in contact with the must, and initiating malolactic fermentation.
. Supervise workers in crushing and pressing processes, or perform those duties themselves.
. Supervise cellar operations during secondary fermentation with tasks such as aging, topping off barrels, and clearing wine of fermentation residue.
. Direct and coordinate blending and bottling of wine, or perform those duties themselves.

Requirements for Program Entry

. Completed application.
. High school transcript or equivalent. (For a list of equivalents, go to www.nwtc.edu/gettingstarted.)
. Students should have mastered basic math skills (whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, and measurements).
. As a requirement for program entry, an Academic Skills Assessment (Accuplacer) with appropriate benchmark scores is necessary. Program Benchmarks are Reading Comprehension, 55; Sentence Skills, 75; Elementary Algebra, 61. Students not meeting these benchmarks or the equivalent will be granted pre-program status and will be required to establish an individualized academic plan. Upon completion of the plan, full program status will be granted. Students may have the opportunity to enroll in selected program core courses while completing their individualized plan. However, higher test scores will lead to greater success in core program courses. To learn more about these assessments and program benchmark scores, please contact a counselor at (920) 498-5444 or (888) 385-6982.

Curriculum

The Winemaking (Enology) Associate Degree program is a two-year, four-semester program. Upon graduation, a student will have earned 60 credits.

FIRST SEMESTER

SECOND SEMESTER

THIRD SEMESTER

FOURTH SEMESTER

Curriculum Note
*These courses must be taken at NWTC to receive an Associate Degree.
**One of these 10-145-XXX courses must be taken at NWTC to receive an Associate Degree

Suggested Electives

. Organic Produce, 10-090-105
. Beverage Server-Responsible, 47-311-400 (This course will not meet the requirements of the degree, but may be of interest to some students.)

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

These courses provide an opportunity for students to develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding required for employment in this field.

10-054-141 MICROBIOLOGY-WINE … basic principles of wine microbiology. Students will become familiar with the identification, physiology, morphology, and biochemistry of wine organisms to understand their influence on winemaking and the importance of quality assurance controls in the laboratory as well as regulatory requirements of the wine industry. (Prerequisite: 10-806-134, General Chemistry)

10-145-171 MICRO-BUSINESS: BUSINESS PLAN ...focused on marketing and finance; learn tactics for market penetration, advertising; PR; learn from guest speakers from various media; discover sources of capital; learn financial recordkeeping; write your business plan.

10-145-185 ORGANIZING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS ...the components of small business ownership by examining a variety of small business startup and operation scenarios. Assesses your own readiness to begin the entrepreneurial adventure.

10-145-186 FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT-SMALL BUSINESS ...the importance of good recordkeeping systems, reports, and the records necessary for a small business. Financial analysis techniques are explored through hands-on Income statements and cash flow projections for small businesses.

10-145-187 MARKETING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS ...implement and evaluate a marketing plan for their small business. Students will develop a marketing plan for a selected small business. Components of the plan include market research, customer focus, quality, pricing, and advertising.

10-145-188 ENTREPRENEURIAL SERVICE MANAGEMENT ...the elements of your successful business with a strategic plan that focuses on servicing your customer with a winning attitude, performance, teamwork, and competition.

10-145-189 WRITING A BUSINESS PLAN-SMALL BUSINESS ...as a necessary component to beginning a small business, from addressing facets of the business plan, observing various types of plans, to realizing readiness to begin. Plan preparation/presentation are required.

VIN 146 INTRODUCTION TO ENOLOGY ...learn the basic science and technology of winemaking. Make wine from a kit, track fermentation, make various chemical measurements and provide one bottle of finished wine for evaluation. (Students must be 21 years of age to enroll in this course.)

VIN 148 WINERY SANITATION ...covers methods used for sanitizing the premises, tanks, pumps, filters, oak barrels, and sampling equipment, including chemical agents, reagents, and thermal treatments leading to sterile bottling. Environmental issues and compliance also addressed.

VIN 160 WINERY EQUIPMENT OPERATION ...overview of winemaking including operations and equipment, barrel aging and management, membrane separation processes, workplace safety, and specialized contacting, cleaning, sanitation, process control, refrigeration, air conditioning, humidity, electrical, wastewater, solid waste handling systems.

VIN 246 INTERMEDIATE ENOLOGY ...the science and technology of winemaking intended for experienced intermediate winemaker or winery employee interested in career development, or advanced home winemaker seeking new challenges. Basic organic chemistry, microbiology, and some mathematics familiarity are recommended.

VIN 257 FALL WINE PRODUCTION INTERNSHIP ...hands-on instruction for the individual anticipating a career in the wine industry who has completed major course sequences. Experience an intense level of practical and realistic winery operation during crush season.

VIN 259 CELLAR OPERATIONS TECHNOLOGY ...get onsite experience learning techniques associated with finished wine production. Learn wine transfer, wine fining, cold stabilization, wine clarification, blending of wines, and bottling.

VIN 268 WINE AND MUST ANALYSIS ...analysis regarding grape juice and wine are chosen for laboratory exercises and demonstrate various chemical, physical, and biochemical methods. Students will participate in workshops and hands-on experiences at participating wineries.

VIN 266 SENSORY EVALUATION ...develop an understanding of the principles of sensory evaluation used in commercial wine making. Students will utilize sensory kits and workshops to further sensory evaluation skills and techniques. (Students must be 21 years of age to enroll in this course.)

VIN 290 WINERY SAFETY ...an introduction to safety and procedures specific to enology including general history of food and beverage safety and health issues, ergonomics, OSHA safety rules and safety issues and concerns specific to the winery.

10-801-198 SPEECH ...fundamentals of effective oral presentation to small and large groups: topic selection, audience analysis, methods of organization, research, structuring evidence and support, delivery techniques, and the listening process. (Prerequisite: Accuplacer- Reading =55 OR ACT- Reading =15 OR 77-858-759, BE Reading Prep IIB with "C" or better OR equivalent) 3 cr.

10-804-118 INTERM ALGEBRA WITH APPLICATIONS ...algebra content with applications. Topics include properties of real numbers, order of operations, algebraic solution for linear equations and inequalities, operations with polynomial and rational expressions, operations with rational exponents and radicals, algebra of inverse, logarithmic and exponential functions. (Prerequisite: Accuplacer-Algebra=61 OR 10-804-107, College Mathematics OR 10-834-110, Elem Alg w/ Apps OR 77-854-759, BE Math Prep IIB with "C" or better OR equivalent) 4 cr.

10-806-134 GENERAL CHEMISTRY ...covers chemistry fundamentals. Topics: metric system, problem-solving, periodic relationships, chemical reactions, chemical equilibrium, properties of water; acids, bases, and salts; and gas laws. (Prerequisite: Accuplacer-Reading=55 OR ACT-Reading =15 OR 77-858-759, BE Reading Prep IIB OR equivalent) 4 cr.

10-801-136 ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1 ...learners develop knowledge/skills in planning, organizing, writing, editing. Students will also analyze audience/purpose, use elements of research, format documents using standard guidelines, and develop critical reading skills. (Prerequisite: Accuplacer-Sentence Skills =75 AND Accuplacer-Reading =55 OR ACT-English =16 AND ACT Reading =15 OR 77-851-759; BE Communication Prep IIB OR 10-831-103, Intro to College Writing with "C" or better OR equivalent) 3 cr.

10-809-199 PSYCHOLOGY OF HUMAN RELATIONS ...decision making, motivation, conflict resolution, learning strategies, growth and adjustment, diversity, psychological theories, relationships, psychological disorders, stress, career analysis, social psychology, and lifespan development. (Prerequisite: Accuplacer-Sentence Skills =60 AND Accuplacer-Reading =55 OR ACT-English =16 AND ACT Reading =15 OR 77-851-759 BE Communication Prep IIB OR 77-858-759 BE Reading Prep IIB w/ a "C" or better) 3 cr.

10-809-172 RACE ETHNIC & DIVERSITY ...basic American values of justice and equality by teaching vocabulary, history of immigration/conquest, transcultural communication, legal liability, multicultural majority/minority relations, ageism, sexism, gender, sexual orientation, the disabled/ADA. (Prerequisite: Accuplacer-Sentence Skills= 60 AND Accuplacer-Reading =55 OR ACT-English =16 AND ACT Reading =15 OR 77-851-759 BE Communication Prep IIB OR 77-858-759 BE Reading Prep IIB w/ a "C" or better) 3 cr.

10-809-195 ECONOMICS ...scarcity, resources, alternative economic systems, growth, supply and demand, monetary and fiscal policy, inflation, unemployment, and global economic issues. (Prerequisite: Accuplacer-Sentence Skills= 60 AND Accuplacer-Reading =55 OR ACT-English =16 AND ACT Reading =15 OR 77-851-759 BE Communication Prep IIB OR 77-858-759 BE Reading Prep IIB w/ a "C" or better) 3 cr.