Wine Expertise

3 semester credits. This course presents a practical and technical approach based on understanding the direct relationship and reactions between components, flavors, and textures. This approach uses sensory analysis to help the student identify key elements that affect pairings. Concrete examples include food analysis and tasting notes. Dedicated dishes, ingredients, and flavorings will be paired with wine in order to understand the interaction between these elements. The direct food and wine pairing analysis will also culminate in a complete gastronomical, regional, and cultural context evaluation. Wines from the New and the Old World, paired with food, will offer students a real perspective of the concept of identity in the world of gastronomy. 



3 semester credits. This course offers students the unique chance to learn regional winemaking cultures and practices supported by a direct on-site experience in the breathtaking Italian countryside. Students will acquire knowledge of different methods of planting, training, irrigation, frost protection and harvesting directly from the wine producers. They will also familiarize with wine operations from vineyard to cellar, from the various winemaking equipment to fermentation tools. This class includes field learning hours. Field learning is a method of educating through first-hand experience. Skills, knowledge, and experience are acquired outside of the traditional academic classroom setting and may include field activities, field research, and service learning projects. The field learning experience is cultural because it is intended to be wide-reaching, field-related content is not limited to the course subject but seeks to supplement and enrich academic topics. Students will have the opportunity to integrate theory and practice while experiencing Italian culture, art, and community within the Italian territory. Faculty will lead students in experiencing Italian culture through guided projects and field experiences as planned for the course. Field learning will be developed through classroom preparation, follow up projects, and guided learning outcomes. Field learning will provide students with the opportunity to develop skills and appreciate the multifold components of Italian Culture through direct experience. Field education will advance student learning as a relationship-centered process.

3 semester credits. The course gives both a general overview of the Italian viticulture and a systematic description of the grapevines. The students will study the history of viticulture, the life cycle of a vineyard and of a grapevine, and the processes that took place to arrive at modern viticulture. Course topics include environmental analysis, the choice of the right rootstocks for varying conditions, crafting techniques, canopy systems, trellis control, protections from pests and diseases, cultivation issues that positively or negatively affect winemaking, and cost management factors. Emphasis will be put on comparative cultivation systems among conventional, organic and biodynamic techniques. An introduction to microbiology will help students completing all aspects related to enology. Students have the opportunity to learn directly from wine producers through a series of activities held in professional contexts. This course also features a field learning component in relevant Italian locations to supplement and enrich academic topic.

3 semester credits. 
This course introduces students to Italy's wine culture, tradition, and heritage as well as to the importance of wine within the Italian socio-economic framework and how to read an Italian wine label.
The major grape varieties cultivated in Italy will be analyzed and an emphasis will be placed on the main wine production techniques in order to understand the winemaking processes for red, white, rosé, Italian sparkling, sweet, and fortified wines. Students will learn the differences among types and styles of wine according to the winemaking choices, developing a critical capability of analysis and classification.

3 semester credits. 
This course has been designed to provide students with an advanced working knowledge of wine appreciation. Emphasis is placed on sensory evaluation, deep flavor analysis, organoleptic components of wine, how to detect wine faults, and the role of chemistry in wine flavors. Course topics will be covered through a complete overview of the most important Italian wine Denominations. Students will be guided to professional wine appreciation that will include comparative, blind, and vertical wine tastings.




3 semester credits. This course presents, explains and analyzes the role of France as a reference model in the wine world. Course topics cover the historical and cultural origins of winemaking in France, the main native grape varieties as well as the major French wine production areas: Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace, Loire Valley, Provence and more, with detailed studies on wine characteristics according to the place of production. Students will be guided, also through wine tastings, throughout the french territory to gain an in-depth understanding the concepts of Terroir, Cru and the influence of France on international viticulture and wine styles.

3 semester credits. This course has been designed to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the main wine producing countries of the Old World as France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia and of course Italy. Students will be guided across Europe to discover the principal wine areas and native grape varieties, with a specific focus on the cultural heritage and winemaking tradition that belong to each country. Course topics include the different appellation systems, soil characteristics, and basics of winemaking process. The course also offers an introduction to wine tasting in order to better understand the original features of the wines from each country.

3 semester credits. This course continues the journey of world wines by focusing on countries of the “New World” in order to further develop students’ experience and knowledge. The countries to be studied are: United States of America (with a special emphasis on California), Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina, and some newcomers. Students will participate in comparative tastings to be able to conduct a critical analysis of wines produced in different parts of the New World, with the usual emphasis on the relationship between sensory properties of the wines and factors associated with their place of origin.