Fresno State welcoming wine biz degree, campus brewery

Fresno State has offered majors in viticulture and enology, the study of grapes and the study of wines, but the university may soon have a new related major.

This fall, Fresno State will offer a wine business degree, being introduced by the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, pending final administrative approval.

The wine business classes have been previously offered at the university, but now, students will be able to pursue a new degree while integrating courses from the Viticulture and Enology Department in conjunction with its Agricultural Business Departments and other departments.

The requirements for the degree will include classes in accounting, economics, finance management, marketing, regulations, statistics, wine evaluation and production.

Fresno State Winery, the nation’s first and largest winery on a college campus, has provided students hands on experience to learn the chemistry and production of wine.

Sonet Van Zyl, associate professor of viticulture at the Jordan College, has been at Fresno State since 2011.

Van Zyl, who is originally from South Africa, was majoring in animal science and nature conservation, discovered the world of wine and switched to viticulture.

Van Zyl loves to be out in the field, teaching students how to prune a vine, how to plant it and how to get it to produce at optimal levels.

She said that for every one winemaker, there are 30 other jobs that need to be filled, whether it be wine marketing, wine business, logistics, accounting, or tasting room management—these fields are very open.

While Central Coast regions like Napa Valley soak in the glory of producing some of the finest ones, the Central Valley is the largest wine region in the state and produces 75% of the state’s wine grapes.

“This is where we need a business program because the biggest wineries are also in the Central Valley,” Van Zyl said.

She noted major wine producers in the Central Valley such as E. & J. Gallo in Modesto and Livingston Cellars, which has a facility in Fresno, and Bronco Wine Co. in Madera.

When compared to other broader business classes, wine business classes require students to really know the product and specifically market wine. Since wine is an alcoholic beverage, things like label laws and shipping laws are not always found in the normal business world, Van Zyl said.

There are many students that do wish to start their own wine labels or brands, but they are more interested in the marketing and business side rather than the production side.

She said some students don’t like the scientific side of wine, and might struggle with the scientific parts.

“Wine is chemistry and microbiology,” Van Zyl said.

Across the board, the number of students majoring in enology is decreasing, but enrollment in wine business classes is increasing.

Van Zyl said many students come from families who own wineries.

She said that Fresno State would lose students to other schools like Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and University of California, Davis, but now that the university will be offering its own wine business degree program, the hope is that more students will stay, and that others from outside the area will be attracted.

Van Zyl said that the younger generation doesn’t drink as much wine as the older ones, and bigger wineries are pivoting to other fermented products like beer, as well as wine spritzers, ready-to-drink cocktails and more cider-based drinks.

Fresno State will also soon have its own brewery along with its winery, with the building shell expected to be completed within a year, Van Zyl said. She said that the school is opening to any collaboration or donation from any breweries that want to get involved.

Van Zyl said there is currently and overproduction of wine in the market, which has led to a fall in grape and wine prices.

She said the wine business degree program will be the last part of an integration for their enology and viticulture program. Students get a lot of experience in the field, and this new program will help them grow not only grapes, but also their understanding of the business, law, and marketing aspects of the industry.