It’s back-to-school season in America. For many of us, that means reconsidering life choices and that useless (but fulfilling?) liberal arts degree. Maybe studying something everyone loves would have been better — say, a degree in wine. Here are the top schools with wine programs in the U.S.
California State University, Fresno
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Here, learning means doing. Fresno State has a 50,000-gallon commercial winery for students and 150 acres of grape vineyards. More than 150 viticulture and enology students are in the program, and graduates often go on to leading positions in wineries around the world. Available degrees include the science of winemaking as well as the management skills needed to run a winery.
Cornell University
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Step out of the happy California sunshine and into one of the top viticulture and enology programs in the world. Cornell’s viticulture program focuses on breeding grapes adaptable to cool climate growing regions, vineyard management, and the science of winemaking. As an added bonus, the college is located right in the Finger Lakes wine region.
Washington State University
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Don’t let Washington State’s close proximity to Idaho throw you. The school knows wine. Students get hands-on experience in Pacific Northwestern wines. In addition to scientific programs at the Washington State campus (at the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center), students complete internships and network with industry professionals so they’re ready to join the work force upon graduation.
University of California, Davis
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One of California’s most renowned agriculture schools also happens to have one of the most renowned viticulture and enology programs in the world. There’s hardly anything you can’t do at UC Davis’s Robert Mondavi research and teaching labs, but there’s also a chance for students to explore the great outdoors at the research winery, one of the most sustainable in the world.
California Polytechnic State University
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It’s hard to beat the beauty of the Central Coast wine region and San Luis Obispo. Lose yourself in the Cal Poly wine and viticulture program, where students learn about vineyard management, wine production, and wine selling. Additionally, the school retails its own student-made Cal Poly Wines brand.
Oregon State University
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Oregon State is one of five universities in the U.S. with programs in both grape and wine production sciences. Students get to stroll around and study throughout the university vineyard, Woodhall Vineyard. Coursework also includes visits to other nearby vineyards in the Willamette Valley.
