In Profile: Tom Thompson, PSS's Viticulture & Enology Programs
The Texas wine industry has been growing slowly for a number of years, but in the last five to 10 years, it's exploded. "The Southern High Plains is great for grape growing," says Tom Thompson, chairman of Tech's plant and soil science department.
And, now with the addition of several new classes and the state's first degree option in the study of viticulture (grapes) and enology (winemaking), Texas Tech soon will be known for cultivating graduates skilled in the science and art of grape production and winemaking.
Degreed Enologists. "There are a number of wineries in Texas who hire degreed enologists," Thompson said. "Right now they have to hire them from California or other places. We want to see our graduates get jobs in not only Texas but also California "" or anywhere else in the country."
In the new degree plan, students will major in Horticultural and Turfgrass Sciences
and take 18 credit hours to specialize in viticulture and enology. Following are the
new classes that will be available beginning in fall 2009:
"Winemaking Worldwide
"Wine Production Introduction
"Viticulture I "" Principles of Viticulture
"Study Abroad or Winery Internship
"Viticulture II "" Grape Production
"Winemaking Quality Control and Analysis
"Vineyard Management
"Advanced Winemaking
Texas A&M Partnership. The classes are possible in part because of a partnership with the Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension Service in Lubbock to share faculty appointments. The Extension Service also operates a one-acre experimental vineyard at its research center north of Lubbock.
The new degree will dovetail with wine marketing, wine tourism and other related studies being developed in the Department of Nutrition, Hospitality and Retailing and the Wine Marketing Research Institute, both in the Texas Tech College of Human Sciences.
Development Fund. Funding for expanded research and faculty appointments is through the Wine Industry Development Fund, established by state legislators in 2005. The Texas Department of Agriculture administers the fund to support the continued growth and success of the state's grape and wine industry.
Despite California's reputation as wine country, Texas was the site of the first vineyard in North America when Franciscan priests planted grapes in the El Paso area about 1662. Since then, grape and wine production in the state has ebbed and flowed as diseases, such as the devastating bacteria Pierce's Disease, and societal trends, such as Prohibition, have taken their toll.
Sustained Growth. Since about 1980 grape production in Texas has experienced a sustained upward trend as more acres have been converted into vineyards. "There's been time to get past the perception that Texas is a crazy place to grow grapes," Thompson said.
Grape growing is an intense process that, like many other fruit crops, is greatly influenced by weather, soil and other climate factors. "Usually by a vineyard's third year you're able to pick some grapes," said Ed Hellman, a Tech professor of viticulture with joint appointment with the Extension Service.
Viticulture Resource. Since coming to Lubbock in 2000 from Oregon State University, Hellman has replanted the vineyard at the Extension Service Center and a small teaching vineyard at the Horticulture Center on the Texas Tech campus. He maintains the award-winning Texas Winegrape Network Web site (winegrapes.tamu.edu), a research-based, viticulture information resource for commercial grape growers.
The complexity of winemaking is part of its appeal for Brent Trela, an assistant professor of enology who holds a joint appointment with the Extension Service. "It's a beautiful blend of agriculture, chemistry, microbiology, art and tradition," he said.
Long-Term Goals. He previously was program director of distance education in winemaking at the University of California, Davis, and is a well-traveled winemaking consultant. His work has taken him to Thailand, China, Australia, New Zealand, England, Armenia, the Republic of Georgia and Russia.
Joining the CASNR faculty in 2007 afforded Trela the opportunity to start an academic enology program from scratch, including setting up a lab and developing class curriculum and outreach programs. "We have a long-term goal of having a pilot winery, but it is an expensive proposition," Thompson said.
Industry Incentive. Romantic notions associated with winemaking may be inspiring start-up wineries, but Trela's research demonstrates that hard science is what will help producers create appealing table wines that garner accolades. His current studies include phenolics and antioxidants, improving wine quality through better understanding of oxidation processes and wine stabilization chemistry and methods.
"Some Texas wines are very good," Trela said. The industry incentive for helping improve other Texas wines is that raising the quality across the board helps foster a positive reputation in consumers and high-end restaurants and retailers about the overall Texas winemaking industry, he said.
By Laura Gutschke
CONTACT: Thomas Thompson, Professor and Chairman, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2838 or thomas.thompson@ttu.edu
1026NM09
Davis College NewsCenter
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Address
P.O. Box 42123, Lubbock, Texas 79409-2123, Dean's Office Location:Goddard Building, Room 108 -
Phone
(806)742-2808 -
Email
kris.allen@ttu.edu