The course allows insight from industry professionals and takes 12 to 18 months to complete
By Jordan Poltorak— campus@theaggie.org
UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education has officially been offering a winemaking certificate program for 11 years. The course lasts 12 to 18 months and costs $8,810 in addition to textbooks. It focuses on the scientific framework and production of winemaking and can be completed entirely online.
The program emphasizes the chemical and microbiological processes that go into winemaking. These include recognising faults in wine like imbalance, oxidation and microbial spoilage.
One of the professionals instructing this program is Jennifer Rohrs. Her research focuses on grapevine physiology, crop water use and irrigation management. She is now an independent consultant and contractor for Vine Ecology in Napa County as well as an instructor for the winemaking certificate program.
Rohr shared her thoughts and some insights into the program on the Continuing and Professional Education website.
“It’s important to have some basic training and academic exposure to these areas, so when a real-world issue arises, you have a background to build on,” Rohrs said. “Ultimately, the key is in the combination of academic exposure and hands-on vineyard and winemaking experience.”
Some benefits of the program include one-on-one instruction, networking opportunities and technical knowledge that can be applied immediately after completion of the course.
The knowledge gained from the program can be used to pursue careers in wine production as well as sales, marketing and operations in the industry.
Larry Schaffer, the owner and winemaker of tercero wines in Santa Barbara, shared his goals for the program in his instructor spotlight.
“I hope my students take away a greater joy for the subject matter and a broader understanding of the material than when they started [as well as] a desire to learn more,” Schaffer said.
Schaffer specifically teaches a class called “Wine Production” within the program. He earned his master’s degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis and has over 20 years in winemaking experience.
The instructors each specialize in their own areas and aid students in a well-rounded wine education. Nichola Hall, for example, is the technical director of fermentation and enology for Scott Laboratories in Petaluma as well as a member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture.
Hall expanded on the inner workings of winemaking in her instructor spotlight.
“Winemaking is a little bit of art and a whole lot of science,” Hall said. “By having a solid foundation and understanding of what is happening and why, you can adapt to the vintage and make quality-based decisions.”
The application is open year round, and once submitted, applicants will be notified within seven to 10 days. With the exception of some mandatory prerequisites, the application is open to everyone. Those who wish to find out more about the program can visit the Winemaking Certification Program’s website.
Written by: Jordan Poltorak — campus@theaggie.org
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