Art Chowder September | October 2021 Issue No. 35 Issue 35 | Page 27

In the last 20 years , larger wine schools have enticed high level research to Washington that both protects and grows the local industry . Smaller schools offer smaller class sizes perfect for some students , while larger four-year degrees offer a trajectory for students to achieve larger stages , national or international jobs and state-of-the-art learning facilities . As an example , Ste . Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center in Richland was built in 2013 , close to the oldest of Washington ’ s vinifera vineyards . As a teaching and research facility , students here gain skills managing vineyards , learning the most cuttingedge fermentation systems in existence ( 192 separate vessels , one machine ) or learning to taste wine with ingenious sensory analysis rooms where gas chromatographs puff smells at the student to educate their noses as well as their brains . Truly , this is learning at the speed of smell .
Larger programs have the meteorological resources to track weather patterns , geology departments that track soil type suitability for different varieties and sales and marketing departments that assist with what happens with wine once it has been made . All of this adds up to a full spectrum experience . Graduates with good grades can earn close to six figures in places as diverse as Yakima , New York and Australia .
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