Viticulture & Enology - Tasting Room Operations

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 introduction to the major wine-growing regions of the world, including history, distribution, climate, and winetypes of these regions. Emphasis will be placed on grape varieties planted and upon environmental and cultural factors influencing grape growth and wine quality and style. Upon completion, students should be familiar with the breadth and depth of the wine-producing regions of the world.

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 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.

This course introduces students to aspects of marketing that are unique to the wine industry, and provides experience in designing and implementing a marketing plan. Emphasis is placed on the nature of the wine market, examples of marketing programs, and practical experience in their design and implementation. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate comprehension and familiarity with the tools and techniques of marketing wine.