In The News: Undergrads can sample enology
For Brent Trela, a good bottle of wine is so much more than something to pair with an entree. It is a product of chemistry, agriculture, tradition, art and science. "It's a beautiful blend of all those things," said Trela, a Texas Tech assistant professor of enology - the study of wine and wine-making.
Now, Texas Tech students will be able to soak up his and other professors' expertise through a new undergraduate program. Starting this fall, horticultural and turfgrass sciences students at the university will be able to specialize in enology and viticulture, the study of grapes, Tech officials announced on Wednesday.
Students will need to earn at least 15 credits to become wine and grape specialists, Trela said. They'll be able to choose from a range of courses, covering everything from grape growing to wine production to wine management, program officials said.
Ground Breaking. The additions make Tech the first university in Texas and one of a handful in the nation to offer an undergraduate program in viticulture and enology, according to Tech's Office of Communications and Marketing. The program arrives at a perfect time, program officials said.
The wine industry is booming in Texas and across much of the U.S., studies show. For the first time last year, American wine drinkers outpaced European wine drinkers, an industry group recently reported. Worldwide, people consumed 6.4 billion gallons of wine in 2007, according to the Paris-based group, the International Organization of Vine and Wine.
More Demand. Texas is the fifth-largest wine producing state in U.S., Trela said. It has more than 162 wineries, according to Tech's Office of Communications and Marketing.
"(The industry's) seen such growth in the past 10 years and there's more demand for trained professionals in the area," said Ed Hellman, a Tech professor of viticulture in the department of plant and soil science.
Graduates from the enology and viticulture program, which Tech was able to add through state funds, should help fill the needs of the booming industry, according to program officials. By 2010, offerings should expand to include winery business planning, wine marketing and vineyard management.
Professors from a range of existing programs, including nutrition and hospitality and retailing and the Wine Marketing Research Institute, will teach the courses.
By Marlena Hartz | Avalanche-Journal | Thursday, April 09, 2009
Davis College NewsCenter
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