December 9, 2020, Santa Rosa, CA—Santa Rosa Junior College’s Wine Studies program has launched a new degree for wine cellar workers. The degree teaches students, through hands-on experience, the theory and practices used in the production of wine, including basic grape growing practices and vineyard decisions, steps in the winemaking process from harvest to bottling, basic wine lab analyses, and the use of winery production equipment. Students also get a general background in the wines of Sonoma County and the world.
 

The Wine Cellar Worker program offers a certificate or an associate degree. The certificate requires wine classes only whereas the associate degree requires both wine and general education classes.
 

The Wine Cellar Worker degree prepares students for positions as wine cellar workers and cellar managers. If students later choose jobs such as assistant winemaker or wine laboratory technicians, they can take the few additional classes required for the separate Enology certificate or major. The Wine Cellar Worker and Enology degrees differ primarily in the chemistry and wine lab classes required for the Enology certificate.
 

According to Dr. Kevin Sea, professor and coordinator of the SRJC Wine Studies Program, “We are incredibly pleased to offer this new program. There is great demand for qualified wine cellar workers in the North Bay. Historically, cellar workers have come to us for training. Now they can leave with a certificate or degree to document their hard work.”
 

Students or community members interested in the SRJC Wine Studies program can visit the website to learn more.