Top Wine Education at Fresno State

Sure, I know it’s a long way from Illinois to California’s Central Valley but for students interested in the wine industry, Fresno State University offers a one-of-a-kind education.

Fresno State Winery produces a wide variety of award-winning wines from the most popular and well-known of varietals such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, to up-and-coming varieties like Syrah and Viognier and to lesser-known wines that are made in small batches. Here, students get a Top Wine Education at Fresno State.

Fresno State was the first American university that received a license to set up, operate, and exploit a winery within the school’s overall educational programs.

Fresno State University’s Agricultural Foundation is funding and running the winery. The foundation is a recognized auxiliary organization on the school’s campus and it operates and manages also other agricultural enterprises to support the hands-on learning and training experience for the school’s students.

To gain admission to this extraordinary education option, applicants need to hold at least a high school or equivalent degree. If that’s a problem, students interested in the one-of-a-kind education can always register for a good online GED course and earn their equivalency diplomas.

Fresno State Winery got its license back in 1997. The winery’s first-ever wine that was commercially viable and sold was actually a wine that was given the name of  Dr. Vincent Petrucci, one of the school’s professors emeritus.

All of the winery’s proceeds benefit Fresno University’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences & Technology as well as the school’s Department of Viticulture & Enology. The wines are organic and tasteful, similar to the wines made at Valentino Vineyards in Illinois where the wines and the vineyard are as organic as possible.

The Winery operated by Fresno State and the student-winemakers have been achieving ongoing recognition for the quality wines they produced and the Winery has won numerous medals for outstanding quality.

Every year, Fresno State Winery is taking part in several (inter) national wine concourses and competitions where it consistently is among the top silver and gold medal winners in its classes.

The awards the winery takes home, and also the school’s one hundred percent employment rate of the school’s graduates, have resulted in unparalleled respect for and acclaim to Jordan College, Fresno State University, and the San Joaquin Valley region as a whole.

All wines at the Fresno State Winery are produced by the school’s students under the supervision and guidance of Fresno State’s faculty. The school’s prestigious and groundbreaking program is highly respected for engaging and educating students in every possible aspect of the process of winemaking.

This process includes student participation in all sorts of vineyard practices and to make sure that the grapes are top-quality. When you visit the area, make also sure to visit Fresno’s Forestiere Underground Gardens, weather permitting. Very interesting and enjoying the region’s great food products in combination with a good glass of local wine is an experience all of you wine lovers should have!

When the grapes are harvested, they will be brought from the school’s vineyards to its winery but grapes are brought in from other vineyards across the San Joaquin Valley as well. Throughout the fermentation process and cellaring, the school’s wines are monitored and managed by the school’s student winemakers to get blended and bottled at the appropriate moment.

The complete line of Fresno State wines is available online and at the new Gibson Farm Market on Chestnut. Many student-winemakers also help out as volunteers at the Fresno Area Foodbank, a great way to support the local community and help those who need it most.

Fresno State Winery will also be present at the Big Fresno Fair Fall Wine Festival (at the Fresno Fair Horse Racing Track) on Saturday, October 13, 2018, from 2 to 5 pm. This all in addition to more Big Fresno Fair Education Programs that are offered as well.

Fresno State Winery
2360 E. Barstow M/S VR89
Fresno, CA 93740-8003
Phone: (559) 278-4867