International Counselor

Random majors for random times:

Sure you could study business or nursing and land a job. But why not pursue something really different. Today I begin a series of articles highlighting things you maybe never thought of studying–some typical, some not so typical. Today’s take: Viniculture.

What exactly is that? It is the student or everything to do with grapes, from growing to processing especially in relations to making wine (which is known as Oenology). The program of studies could lead to great jobs according to

New Zealand: http://www.careers.govt.nz/default.aspx?id0=60103&id1=J80196

Australia: http://joboutlook.gov.au/pages/occupation.aspx?search=goodprospects&code=2342

USA; http://www.calmis.ca.gov/file/occguide/ENOLOGIS.HTM

Where exactly can you become a winemaker?

Certainly you should look around wine growing regions:

USA

Michigan State University:

California State University, Fresno (CAST) - Department of Viticulture and Enology and the Viticulture and Enology Research Center

Cornell University’s Grape Pages and Wine Research and Extension Program

Iowa State University Viticulture

Winegrape Network, hosted at Pennsylvania State University. The mission of the Wine Grape Network is to provide current and accurate viticulture and farming information to grape growers in Southeast Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas.

Wine Business Program at School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University.

Viticulture Research Program - Missouri State University - Mountain Grove, Missouri

Grape Breeding at the Sweet Briar Community Garden, by Clifford Ambers, Sweet Briar College, Virginia

Texas Winegrape Network, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University - a comprehensive information resource for grape growers, not just located in Texas but internationally.

Texas Tech University, Wine Marketing Research Institute - The Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute was established in the Department of Education, Nutrition, and Restaurant/Hotel Management at Texas Tech University in 1988. The mission of the Institute is to foster economic development and growth of the Texas wine and wine grape industry. In achieving this mission through education, research, and service, the Institute works in cooperation with a variety of individuals and organizations including the private sector, other educational organizations, and government officials. The Institute regularly collects and disseminates information concerning Texas wine and wine grape production, wine sales and wine consumption in Texas, and the industry’s economic impacts on the Texas economy. Specific research topics are also examined and include winery tourism, wine sales to restaurants, and supermarket sales of Texas wines.

University of Arkansas’s Enology and Viticulture Research Program, which includes the emphases, the Vineyard Mechanization and Grape Processing Program, and the Enhancing the Health Benefits of Wine Program

University of California at Davis: (they have a ob board that lists about 40 positions available right now.)

Viticulture Program at Virginia Tech’s The Alson H. Smith, Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Also at Virginia Tech, part of the Department of Food Science and Technology, is the The Enology and Grape Chemistry Group, which exists primarily to support the growing grape and wine industry in Virginia.
Washington State University, Wine & Grape Program

USA even offers scholarships. http://asev.org/scholarship-program/

Canadian Universities

Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) is a partnership with the Wine Council of Ontario and the Ontario Grape Growers Marketing Board. Since its establishment in 1996, CCOVI has grown rapidly and it is now housed in Inniskillin Hall, a facility dedicated to research in Oenology and Viticulture in cool climate regions. Inniskillin Hall officially opened in June of 1999. The research facilities available include a state of the art biotechnology lab, sensory evaluation facilites, viticulture lab, pilot winery and 43,000 bottle wine cellar including the collection of the Canadian Wine Library. In addition to CCOVI’s research programs a complete range of academic programs is available. If you want to make it count in BC Okanagan College has a transfer agreement with them to do 2 years in BC + 2 in Ontario

Niagara College, Winery and Viticulture Technician program - Canada’s wine industry is centred in the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, with over 45 local wineries and 19,000 acres of vitis vinifera grapes. In the heart of this vibrant region lies Niagara College, offering a unique opportunity to learn the art of grape growing, wine making and wine appreciation.

University of British Columbia, Wine Research Centre - The WRC’s mission is to conduct pioneering research in enology and viticulture and to develop highly qualified human resources with relevant scientific expertise and enterprise who will promote the technological advancement of the wine industry in Canada. This new initiative is based on a concept of collaboration with researchers at UBC, at other educational and research institutions and all facets of the wine industry.