Enology Online, Wine Auction, Eye on Events

WSU Viticulture and Enology Certificate Program Launches Self-directed Study Option

If you do not need a certificate for employment reasons, do not have the time or financial resources for the certificate program, or are anxious to start learning about winemaking and can’t wait until a seat in Washington State University’s professional certificate program opens up, then the new self-directed program may be the option for you.

“This self-directed option is perfect for those who are ready to start their enology education right away,” certificate program coordinator Theresa Beaver said.

The self-directed program provides the opportunity to take individual courses. There are no exams or assignments due, there is no contact with the instructor, there is no requirement to attend the weekend camps, and there is no certificate. However, by purchasing a course, the student receives a link to a Web site where the lectures given by WSU experts and industry specialists can be obtained. The lectures are PowerPoint presentations with audio, and are the same lectures that students in the certificate program receive.

Unlike the professional certificate program, where the waiting list is over 600 people, the self-directed option is available now.

The Web site to take self-directed enology courses is now open and the first six courses are available. More enology courses will be added soon and a site for self-directed viticulture courses will also be available soon. The six courses currently available for self-directed study are: Wine Production, Wine Chemistry, Winery Sanitation, Winery Equipment, Economics of Starting a Winery, and Enology-Viticulture Interface. These courses range from $75-$400.

To learn more about these self-directed winemaking courses, visit http://tinyurl.com/7ly4a5. To learn more about WSU’s professional certificate programs in viticulture and enology, visit http://tinyurl.com/77dp3p.

WSU enology courses are available online

WSU’s world-class enology program now offers you the opportunity to jump start your winemaking education – online and at your own pace.


Exciting, Unusual Auction Items Highlight ’09 “A Celebration of Washington Wines”

Have you always had a burning desire to experience aerobatic barrel rolls, loops, Cuban 8’s and wingovers in a Christen Eagle biplane?

Or perhaps you’re more grounded and would prefer to discuss aeronautics over dinner – a private dinner and wine tasting for ten hosted by Boeing Commercial Airplane President Scott Carson in Boeing’s private suite in Seattle’s Fairmount Olympic Hotel.

Then there is the opportunity to bid on a gift certificate for a private charter flight to a regional destination of your choice courtesy of SeaPort Airlines of Seattle.

If Cougar football is your cup of tea, then you’ll be interested in the opportunity for you and three guests to be hosted for a special day of football at the Cougar season opener at Seattle’s Qwest Field on Sept. 12 as the personal guests of WSU Athletic Director Jim Sterk.

That’s just a sampling of the many exciting items that will be on the auction block at this year’s “A Celebration of Washington Wines” gala to benefit the WSU Viticulture and Enology program.

The eighth annual black-tie event features a reception, multi-course dinner with wine pairing prepared by award-winning Chateau Ste. Michelle culinary staff and both silent and live auctions.

Other auction lots include a variety of dining and wine tasting experiences, getaways and, of course, a variety of exquisite and sometimes rare wines and collections, including the popular CEO collections of wines donated by business leaders from throughout the state.

The event has been a sellout for the past two years, but tickets are still available for this year’s “Celebration.”

“A Celebration of Washington Wines” will be held on Saturday, Jan. 24, starting at 6 p.m. at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville. Tickets for the event are $250 each, and reservations can be made by contacting Linda Bailey at lmbailey@wsu.edu or by calling 509-335-7772. The deadline for reservations is Jan. 20.

More information is available by visiting www.wineauction.wsu.edu.

Unusual, exiciting wine auction items

A ride in a Christen Eagle aerobatic biplane is just one of many items up for bid at this year’s “A Celebration of Washington Wine.”


Eye on Events

Interested in learning how to keep backyard fruit trees growing just peachy despite a menagerie of pests and diseases? Or perhaps you’re a farmer interested in sorting through the often contradictory information about on-farm safety practice. Or, as a rancher, you may well be interested in hearing about the new feed products spinning off from the corn ethanol industry.

These topics are all the subject of upcoming workshops and seminars sponsored by WSU. Stay current with the information that you need by frequently reading the latest news from the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences and WSU Extension.

Bookmark http://cahnrsnews.wsu.edu/ and check back often. Better yet, subscribe to the news feed and have the latest research and event news sent straight to you!

Stay on top of WSU workshops and events that could benefit your bottom line by visiting the news team Web site.

Stay on top of WSU workshops and events that could benefit your bottom line by visiting the news team Web site: http://cahnrsnews.wsu.edu/.