Certificate, On Campus
The Tasting Room Operations certificate will give students the baseline needed to succeed in the tasting room and to propel forward into management jobs. This certificate will allow students to become more knowledgeable about all aspects of wine from viticulture and production to business and finance management with the overall emphasis on how to properly operate and organize the modern tasting room.
Graduates should qualify for positions in vineyards, wineries, and in related areas of sales and services.
This course provides an overview of viticulture and enology for tasting room staff. Topics include terroir, climate impact on production/quality, NC-specific wine characteristics, acidity, balance, and body. Upon completion, students should be able to use knowledge of key concepts in viticulture and enology to engage with diverse growers and consumers in order to communicate clearly and succinctly with potential customers about basic wine and grape production.
This course introduces key wine tasting concepts utilized by wine tasting professionals. Topics include wine color, aroma, flavor, body, finish, red, white, rose, sparkling, dessert wines, sight, smell, and taste. Upon completion, students should be able to understand key aspects of wines, including color, aroma, flavor, body, and finish in order to determine the differences between red, white, rose, sparkling, and dessert wines.
This course provides an overview of winery tasting room operations. Topics include tasting room experience, ambience, hospitality, and customer service. Upon completion, students should be able to design tasting rooms to meet varying customer expectations and needs, specifically as it relates to ambience, customer experience, use knowledge of direct-to-consumer sales strategies to expand revenue flow and develop customer service and hospitality skills for use in tasting rooms.
This course provides education in winery tasting room operations. Topics include wine room organization, layout, direct -to -consumer sales, customer service, effective wine sale practices, and North Carolina Responsible Alcohol Service training program. Upon completion, students should be able to organize an effective tasting room, use knowledge of direct -to -consumer sales to enhance revenue, use effective customer service and hospitality, increase profitability with effective wine sales practices, explain the effects of alcohol on the human body, and complete the North Carolina Responsible Alcohol Service training program.
This course provides a work-based learning experience with a college-approved employer in an area related to the student's program of study. Emphasis is placed on integrating classroom learning with related work experience. Upon completion, students should be able to evaluate career selection, demonstrate employability skills, and satisfactorily perform work-related competencies.
This course provides an overview of wine finance. Emphasis will be placed on creating an expenditures plan for harvest, fermentation and finishing & packaging; bookkeeping for direct-to -consumer sales and three-tier wine distribution; understanding inventory management and alternative revenue streams; and managing cash flow over a 36- month production period. Upon completion, students should be able to budget for wine operations over an extended production period, understand federal and state excise taxes, and successfully manage winery and tasting room cash flow.
This course provides an overview of the key aspects of a successful wine business. Topics include stakeholder analysis, production, marketing, distribution, domestic and international sales, legal and regulatory compliance, and permits. Upon completion, students should be able to apply wine business concepts to ensure company solvency, calculate operational costs (e.g., domestic, international), understand legal and regulatory requirements necessary for compliance, and explain the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats in the wine business.
Total credits needed to graduate: 16 Hours
*Students must be 21 years or older in order to enroll.
Viticulture & Enology students will:
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