Blend of new courses at Tech aids local, state wine industry
Never one to rest on its academic laurels, Texas Tech now becomes the first university in the state - and one of a handful in the nation - to offer an undergraduate program in viticulture and enology. Viticulture is the science of grape growing and enology is the study of winemaking.
Why does this matter to you? We've all heard of Napa Valley. And we've all heard of Sonoma and Bordeaux. At some point, the South Plains, West Texas, and Eastern New Mexico could become a region that people around the world will recognize, acknowledge, and respect for its distinctive wines.
Think that idea is far-fetched? The wine industry has expanded rapidly in the past five years or so, and not just in Texas, according to Ed Hellman, a Texas Tech professor of viticulture with a joint appointment at Texas Agrilife Extension.
"You look at states like Oklahoma, New Mexico - even Nebraska and Kansas - and there are burgeoning industries there," he said. "This has created a need for graduates, which is why we can offer this new degree specialization. Even eight years ago, we couldn't have been teaching these subjects; we didn't have the faculty to teach them."
Texas alone now has more than 162 wineries fermenting vintages, making it the fifth-largest producer in the U.S., and showing no signs of slowing down. Just look in our own backyard. In alphabetical order, there's Caprock Winery, La Diosa Cellars, Llano Estacado Winery, McPherson Cellars, and Pheasant Ridge Winery. Texans are sipping more wine than ever before, according to a recent study by Texas Tech's Wine Marketing Research Institute.
The influx of graduates should help fill the needs of wine production and retailing industries that have quickly spread beyond the borders of traditionally wine-rich states such as California and Washington, according to the TTU Office of Communications and Marketing.
Toward this goal, Texas Tech University and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are co-sponsoring the first Texas Viticulture and Enology Research Symposium, scheduled June 2-3 in Granbury, to present ways current and ongoing viticulture and enology research can benefit Texas grape growing and winemaking industries. Presentations will conclude with summaries explaining how to apply research in vineyard or winery operations.
"Our primary audience is vineyard owners and wine producers," said Professor Hellman, "but we also hope to draw in other researchers as well as those who simply have an interest in grapes and wine."
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Editorial / Wednesday, May 27, 2009
NOTE: Editorials represent the opinion of The Avalanche-Journal Editorial Board, which consists of Publisher Stephen A. Beasley, Editor Terry Greenberg, Editorial Page Editor Joe Hughes, editorial writer Joe Gulick, in addition to input provided by community advisory board members Adrienne Cozart, Irasema Velasquez and Dee Jay Wilde.
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