Grapes

Highland Community College began offering Technical Certificate programs available in both Viticulture and Enology in Fall 2010. Beginning in Spring 2023, classes switched to a Hybrid delivery format. That is, students have the option of attending class face to face in Wamego, KS, or students can attend classes virtually via Zoom. Many students do a combination of both face to face and Zoom. Each course has an face to face capstone day to cover some of the hands-on content of the course. Instructors work with students to schedule the capstone day. For more information, contact HCC V&E Program Director, Scott Kohl.

From 2010 through 2022, HCC also participated in Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA) program. VESTA allows students in Kansas to take viticulture and enology classes online from colleges and universities across the US. Although HCC is no longer a partner of the VESTA alliance, the classes remain transferable between the VESTA partners and HCC.

Please scroll down to see information about HCC wines.

In Spring 2021, Ms. Nicole Clark joined HCC. A native of Kansas, Nicole spent the previous eight years working in the winery inidustry in Sonoma County, California. Ms. Candice Fitch-Deitz joined HCC in 2018. Formerly a member of the VESTA team in Illinois, Candice was most recently an Horticulture agent with KSU-Research and Extension in western Kansas. Mr. Scott Kohl has been the administrator and director of the HCC Viticulture and Enology program since its inception in 2008. While Mr. Kohl, Ms. Fitch-Deitz, and Ms. Clark have varying ranges of duties, they boast over 35 years of combined industry experience, and the three collaborate in all areas of the HCC V&E Program.

HCC has four vineyards, three of which are in and around the Wamego area: HCC Oregon Trail Vineyard (850 vines) was planted in Spring 2009 The first harvest was in 2012. HCC Research Vineyard 2 (400+ vines, 15+ varieties) was started in Spring 2021 containing some commercial varietals that are not yet common to Kansas in addition to vines that are not yet commerically available. HCC is a trial site for these unreleased vines. The HCC Research Vineyard 1 was planted in 2013 and harvested through the 2021 season. That project is complete, and the old vineyard has been removed. In Fall 2013, HCC was awarded a National Science Foundation - Advanced Technology Education project grant. The grant funded an expansion of HCC's vineyards as well as equipment purchases to teach students about commercial scale vineyard management. Most of the vineyard expansion is at HCC Military Trail Vineyard, located just across US HWY 24 from the HCC-Wamego Center. Finally, HCC has planted vines on the Klinefelter Farm in Brown County near Hiawatha, KS. Here's a link to the HCC Klinefelter Farm. All total, HCC now has just over 5000 vines in the four vineyards. Here is a short video demonstrating the vine planter HCC used in the 2014 to plant the HCC Military trail Vineyard.

While HCC encourages students to complete the certificate program, we recognize that entrepreneurial minded students want a head start on opening their own business. While the full program of courses contains a wealth of knowledge, we welcome the student interested in just one or two courses prior to planting vines or making wine.

We look forward to serving the Kansas grape and wine industry through our continued partnerships with Kansas State University Research and Extension, Kansas Department of Agriculture, and VESTA.

Read about the most recent happenings at HCC Viticulture and Enology on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hccve.

See below for the list of courses and workshops offered this year.

Highland Vineyards and Winery, LLC

In 2017, HCC created Highland Vineyards and Winery, LLC (HVaW) to be the business side of the program, located at 503 Miller Drive, Wamego, KS 66547. HVaW is the host winery at the 456 Wineries business incubator. The tasting room at 456 Wineries opened October 5th, 2019, serving HVaW's wines as well as wine from the incubator clients! We're excited about this unique avenue to teach students and industry enthusiasts about Kansas grapes, Kansas wine, and the Kansas vineyard and winery industry. You can find the winery on Facebook as well as the website. Both sites have the calendar of events. Go Scotties!!

One final nugget from the old HCC Winery. In January 2014, Highland won Best in Show for wines entered at the Kansas grape and wine conference. Highland Vineyards and Winery has that same wine and others. Cheers!!

Viticulture & Enology Course Links

Under Construction Due to Program Reallignment

HCC V&E Course Schedule

Beginning in Spring 2023, HCC V&E courses have gone hybrid! That is, students have the option of attending class in person in Wamego, KS, or students can attend class virtually via Zoom. Of course, students can't learn how to make wine without having purple fingers at least once, so every course has a one-day capstone class which is required to attend in person.

Summer 2023

Course	Dates and Times	Instructor
VIN211 Integrated Pest Management.	Monday Hybrid, 6:30p-8:30p; 6/5 - 7/24	Candice Fitch-Deitz

Fall 2023

Course	Dates and Times	Instructor
VIN111 Fundamentals of Viticulture.	Tuesday Hybrid, 6:30p-8:30p; 10/17 - 12/12	Candice Fitch-Deitz
VIN215 Summer-Fall Viticulture.	Tuesday Hybrid, 6:30p-8:30p) 8/29 - 10/10	Candice Fitch-Deitz
ENO116 Introduction to Enology	Wednesday Hybrid, 6:30p-8:30p; 8/23 - 10/11	Nicole Clark
ENO130 Intermediate Enology	Wednesday Hybrid, 6:30p-8:30p; 10/18 - 12/13	Nicole Clark

Spring 2024

Course	Dates and Times	Instructor
VIN135 Winter-Spring Viticulture	TBA-Hybrid (3 Credit Hours)	Candice Fitch-Deitz
VIN211 Integrated Pest Management	TBA-Hybrid (3 Credit Hours)	Candice Fitch-Deitz
ENO180 Science of Winemaking	TBA-Hybrid (3 Credit Hours)	Nicole Clark
ENO266 Sensory Evaluation	TBA-Hybrid (3 Credit Hours)	Nicole Clark

2023 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Tue, June 13	Wine Faults, HCC-Wamego	1-5p	$15
Tue, July 11	Demystifying Wine Descriptions, HCC-Wamego	9a-3p	$25
Tue, July 18	4th Annual HCC V&E Field Day, HCC-Wamego	9a-4p	$20