Enology Courses

ENO116 Introduction to Enology (3)

This introductory course is designed to provide students with an understanding of winemaking principles, including history, grape growing, chemistry, wine microorganisms, fermentation, and winery operations.  It is intended for entrepreneurs to explore business opportunities and winery employees to gain career development.  Coursework is expected to integrate lecture, discussion, guest presenters and field trips to operating vineyards and wineries.  Students will make wine at home from a kit, track fermentation, make various chemical measurements, and provide one bottle of finished wine to the instructor at the conclusion of the course.

ENO130 Intermediate Enology (3)

Prerequisite: ENO116

This intermediate course is built on the fundamentals of science and technology in winemaking practices taught in Introduction to Enology. During this course, students will understand how the whole winemaking practice works and learn the scientific background for any decisions made during the process of winemaking. At the completion of the course students will understand winemaking calculations necessary for accurate, precise and safe additions to the wine. This class emphasizes the practical aspects to growing grapes and making wine.

ENO147 Fruit Wine Production (2)

Prerequisite: ENO116 or Instructor Permission

This course will cover the history of fruit wine making, starting a fruit winery, production processes, quality control, faults and flaws, stability tests, marketing and sales, and legal regulations. Students will get an understanding of the special idiosyncrasies of the various fruits available to make commercial grade fruit wine.

SyllabusLocations and Course Schedule

ENO148 Winery Sanitation (3)

Prerequisite: ENO116 or Instructor Permission

This is a course in the basic science and technology of winery sanitation. The course serves as an introduction to wine microbiology and covers all methods used for winery sanitation, including but not limited to premises, tanks, pumps, filters, oak barrels and sampling equipment, chemical agents, reagents, and thermal treatments leading to sterile bottling. Environmental issues and compliance are also addressed.

ENO160 Winery Equipment Operations (2)

Prerequisite: ENO116 or Instructor Permission

This course covers process technologies and process systems that are used in modern commercial wineries. The course will include lectures, demonstrations and two-day workshops and will provide an overview of winemaking systems, including winemaking operations and equipment, barrel aging and barrel management, membrane separation processes, specialized contacting systems, cleaning and sanitation systems, process control systems, refrigeration systems, air conditioning and humidity systems, electrical systems, waste water systems, solid waste handling, and work place safety.

ENO180 The Science of Winemaking (3)

Prerequisite: ENO116 and ENO 130, or Instructor Permission

This course will explore the interrelated chemical, biological, and physical mechanisms that are critical to wine production. This class will expand upon topics taught in Intermediate Enology, providing students with an understanding of the roles of microorganisms, the role of the physical and chemical treatments, and the various decisions that are presented to the winemaker throughout the lifetime of the wine. Laboratory analyses of a practical and useful nature are chosen to demonstrate various chemical, physical, and biochemical methods.

ENO210 Introduction to Wine Microorganisms (2)

Prerequisite: ENO116 or Instructor Permission

This course is an introduction to the variety of both beneficial and harmful microorganisms frequently encountered in the winemaking process. Topics include identification, physiology, morphology and biochemistry of various wine microorganisms.

ENO250 Equipment Technology for the Wine Business Entrepreneur (3)

Prerequisite: VIN111 or ENO116 or Instructor Permission

This course covers equipment and technologies used in vineyard, winery, and management systems for the wine business entrepreneur.  An overview of technologies will include equipment for all aspects of grape and wine production including preparing vineyard location and site; appropriate pre-plant equipment; receive, sort, destem, crush and press fruit; commercial wine production; and bottling and packaging.

SyllabusLocations and Course Schedule

ENO257 Fall Winery Production Technology (3)

Prerequisite: ENO130, ENO148, and ENO160 or Instructor Permission

This course is designed for the individual anticipating a career in the wine industry.  This course (practicum) is designed to provide a student who has completed major course sequences with an intense level of practical and realistic winery operation experiences sufficient to equip him/her with sufficient skills and work experience for an entry-level position in the wine industry. Students involved in this program will participate in a full time Crush Season practicum at a supporting winery and are expected to use the time and opportunities to further their understanding of the winemaking process and common winery operations.  A minimum of 120 hours of field practicum are required along with a daily journal of practicum experiences.

ENO259 Cellar Operation Technology (2)

Prerequisite: ENO257 or Instructor Permission

This course is designed to provide students initiated in the field of enology with actual and practical exposure to the technology of winemaking as it is performed during the passive vineyard periods associated with winter. The student is expected to improve his/her understanding of the methods and science involved by on-site participation in each of the various activities associated with finished wine production. The course may qualify as experience for those seeking employment in commercial enology.  A minimum of 80 hours of field practicum are required along with a daily journal of practicum experiences.

ENO266 Sensory Evaluation (3)

Prerequisite: ENO116 or Instructor Permission

This course is intended for students who need to develop an understanding of the principles of sensory evaluation used in commercial winemaking. It will also be of benefit to the wine enthusiast who is interested in reaching advanced levels of appreciation as well as to the producer, the wine merchant, and ultimately the enologist, who by the nature of their profession need to discern flavors and establish tasting benchmarks. Students will utilize sensory kits and workshops to further their sensory evaluation skills and techniques. Students must be at least 21 years old to enroll in this class.

ENO268 Wine and Must Analysis (3)

Prerequisite: ENO116 and PS 107 or Instructor Permission

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the principles of grape juice and wine analysis and the reasons for use of each analysis. Analyses of a practical and useful nature are chosen for the laboratory exercises demonstrating various chemical, physical and biochemical methods. Students will participate in workshops and hands-on experiences at participating wineries.

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