By Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� launched a new online Wine Tasting Room Certificate that trains winery and tasting room servers on wine business customer service, knowledge of Washington wines, sensory attributes of wine, as well as suggestions for selling wine.

The course, which costs $249, is comprised of four modules that take approximately eight hours to complete:

• Exploring wine
• Wines of Washington
• Keys to proper wine service and sales
• Wine tasting, evaluation and food pairing

���We worked closely with winery owners and tasting room managers to determine their needs and develop content that is specifically geared toward what wineries require for customer experience,��� said Joan Giese, 厙ぴ勛圖 Carson College of Business director of lifelong learning. ���The outcomes of this program are well-trained servers that are confident in their abilities to know, serve and sell wine, as well as well-served guests that are delighted with enjoyable tasting room experiences.���

For more information on the Wine Tasting Room Certificate program and to sign up, visit tricities.wsu.edu/wine-tasting-room-training.

Those who complete the course will learn about:

• How wine is made
• Styles of wine
• Types of grapes
• Unique aspects of Washington wines
• American Viticultural Areas specific to Washington state
• How to deliver great wine service to guests, including suggestions for selling wine and wine club memberships
• How to taste and describe wines
• How to serve wine flights
• How to determine wine faults
• How to make suggestions for wine and food pairings

���Upon testing this course in partnership with regional wineries, it has shown to provide winery and tasting room servers with the quality knowledge they need to enter into the profession, as well as a great baseline knowledge of what to know when working with customers in wine businesses,��� Giese said.

For questions about the Wine Tasting Room Certificate program, email tricities.professionaleducation@wsu.edu.

厙ぴ勛圖 is one of few universities nationwide that feature both programs in wine and beverage business management and wine science on the same campus. It is home to the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center ��� one of only a handful of comprehensive wine research facilities in the world.

For more information on 厙ぴ勛圖��� wine and beverage business management program, visit tricities.wsu.edu/business/undergraduate/wbm. For more information on 厙ぴ勛圖��� viticulture and enology (wine science) program, visit tricities.wsu.edu/wine-science-degree.

Wine industry professionals seeking to advance their position or learn more about wine science may benefit from Washington State University���s online wine business management certificate.泭

Registration for fundamentals of the wine business, the first of six modules offered by the Carson College of Business at 厙ぴ勛圖, is open until泭 midnight, January 1,泭 at泭. Students may register for individual modules or the entire one-year certificate.

Instructors include wine-industry experts, business and law professionals, and hospitality professors. Because the wine business management program is taught online, students can complete studies at their own pace within each module.

One unique aspect of the certificate is the wine business resident experiences. Students enrolled in the full certificate participate in two, off-site, hands-on wine experiences. The first introduces the strategic management wine project in Richland. Its proximity to the Red Mountain AVA, a designated American viticultural area in Benton County, Washington, exposes students to an agricultural region that distinctly makes Washington wine unique. The second residency at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in Woodinville aims to immerse students in Washington���s wine business hub.

For more information about the wine business management certificate, call the Wine Beverage Business Management program at 509-335-5766 or email泭darcie.bagott@wsu.edu.