Wine Studies

The Associate of Science in Wine Studies prepares students to enter the wine industry, improve professional skills, or transfer to a four-year university. The degree emphasizes a multidisciplinary educational approach and includes hands-on experience in vineyards and wineries as well as analytical wine tastings. The program builds a foundation in wine sensory analysis, appreciation, global wine styles, viticulture, winemaking, service, and wine and food pairing. Many classes may be offered in a distance learning format. 

Students learn the fundamentals of winegrowing and winemaking in the world’s major wine producing regions, industry standards for service, and the assessment of quality and style through hands-on curriculum taught by experienced industry professionals. Throughout the program, students will develop a well-rounded perspective of the global wine industry, the skills necessary to determine wine quality, and the experience and perspective required to assist customers in wine selection.  

An Associate in Science degree requires 60 units appropriate to your educational goal, including general education and at least 30 units in the major.

General education courses present a broad overview of different academic disciplines. There are different general education patterns available. Please meet with an academic counselor to determine which general education pattern best meets your goals and creates a pathway to completion. Visit the general education page for additional information.

 Courses in the major go more in depth into the area of the study. Below are required courses and approved electives for this degree. 

Students planning to transfer should select courses that meet requirements of the intended transfer university. For UC and CSU campuses, these major requirements can be found at www.assist.org.

Meet with an academic counselor to ensure you are taking the best courses given your goal.

A total of 8-14 students are expected to enroll with potential for annual growth. Completion rates of the degree are expected to be 4-7 per year with a potential for annual growth.

Cabrillo College is seeking approval from the Chancellor’s Office for the new Wine Studies Associate of Science degree. The degree is designed to train and educate students to work in the wine industry, whether they enter the workforce directly or seek additional education at a transfer institution. 

The need for well-trained wine professionals has been advocated for by regional wineries, wine retail operators, food service operators, and wine industry producer organizations and supported by current regional labor market research (TOP 0104.00). The Wine Studies program is aligned with Cabrillo’s mission, master plan, and statewide community college work in Guided Pathways. Approval of this program will benefit regional employers, augment college enrollment, and support non-traditional and underserved minority students in a viable career and academic path. 

This program would give our students the knowledge and skills they need to join the workforce or continue their studies in the field. The wine industry experienced a 76 percent increase in employment from 2009 to 2019 across a broad section of jobs. The goal is for graduates to be gainfully employed within a year of program completion, or to transfer to a four-year bachelor degree program. Working with employers to identify earning potential is promising, with potential for a starting salary of $43,750 - 96,000/year in jobs such as winery wine educator, wine steward, junior wholesale or retail wine buyer, wholesale sales representative, tasting room manager, retail sales associate, assistant viticulturist, and assistant winemaker. The average salary for a wine tasting room manager is $66,000 annually, and the average salary for a retail wine buyer is $96,000 annually.  It is critical to give community college students educational and professional experience that is necessary to be successful when they join the workforce or continue to higher degrees.

There are 26 required units in culinary arts focused on wine/wine management, 13 elective units, and 21 units of general education. 

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
CAHM33	Wine Faults	2.00	S1
CAHM35	Wine Business Basics	2.00	S1
CAHM72A	Wine and Wine Service	2.00	S1
CAHM72B	Sensory Evaluation of Wine Varietals	2.00	S2
CAHM74	World Wines	3.00	S2
CAHM76	Basic Winemaking	2.00	Y2
CAHM77	Basic Wine Grape Viticulture	2.00	Y2
CAHM132	Spanish Wines	2.00	S1
CAHM134	Italian Wines	3.00	Y2
CAHM136	French Wines	3.00	Y2
CAHM179	California Wines	3.00	Y2

The Wine Studies program shares learning goals with the Culinary Arts, Horticulture, and Nutrition programs. These goals include principles of wine and food pairing, plant physiology, and the role of wine in relation to cardiovascular health. The Wine Studies Associate in Science degree is an extension of the Wine Studies Certificate of Achievement. The purpose of the degree is to give wine studies students expanded opportunities to acquire career skills, transfer to four-year institutions and to align our program with other community colleges in California by teaching a curriculum that is broadly recognized as best practice. The proposed degree includes many transferable courses and electives that will produce graduates with the foundational skills employers frequently ask for, preparing students for transfer and to undertake more advanced areas of study.

There are not any similar programs in our service area under this TOP code.