Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/230154
The recent passage of a "sip and spit law" in Washington state allows students between the ages of 18 and 21 to taste wine if they are enrolled in accredited winemaking programs. "All of our teaching requires everyone to spit, but this new law shines a bright spot on the program and our emphasis on responsible consumption," Busacca said. GROWTH IN CALIFORNIA Alan Busacca of the Walla Walla Community College Center for Enology & Viticulture is seeing a jump in applicants with established wine evaluation skills. Photo: Zach Mazur, Washington State University the wine business. He's seeing an increase in the number of applicants who already have well-developed wine evaluation skills and on-premise work experience looking to get hands-on training. "These students want to experience winegrowing in action and to understand the impact of winegrowing and winemaking techniques." The school's intense two-year program, started in 2000, has an impressive track record of 400 graduates and draws students from as far away as Hong Kong and New York. "Once students complete our program, they have all of the skills needed to manage a vineyard, make wine or start their own business," Busacca said. "They're fully prepared to take on the entry- and mid-level opportunities in the wine industry." And possibly more; 30 of the Center's graduates are now head winemakers or winery owners. For students looking to retool their skill sets in order to enter the industry, Busacca said a handson technical training program is the most effective means of making a career transition, adding, "An AAS degree carries more weight than other trade certifications, and our graduates have an 80% placement rate in the industry." The college, like many located in wine regions, has a bonded winery where students make, bottle and market the wines they produce. "When students go for job interviews, they can show the awards that their wines have won and we list our student winemakers on all the collateral we produce to sell the wines," Busacca noted. 76 V I N E YA R D & WINE RY MANAGEM ENT | Jan - Feb 2014 Due in part to the passage of Proposition 30, a personal income tax increase that prevented $6 billion in cuts to California's school education budget in November 2012, community college programs in the state are growing. Merilark Padgett-Johnson instructs and coordinates the viticulture program at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC), which offers both a two-year major and a certificate program. "We're expanding our program with two new viticulture courses next spring – Organic Viticulture and Grape Vine Physiology," she said. Padgett-Johnson has 80 students enrolled in SRJC's viticulture program, some of whom already posses a bachelor's degree and want continuing education that will make them eligible for promotion. "We want to evolve our program and cater to a broader demographic and to develop courses in response to demand," she said. Ensuring excellence in every glass Tests Available Include • • • • • Acetic Acid Citric Acid Ethanol Glucose / Fructose Lactic Acid • • • • • Malic Acid NOPA Potassium Total Antioxidant Status Total Sulphites (TS02) visit us at unified wine #1700 E enquiries@randoxfooddiagnostics.com w w w. v wm m e d i a . c o m