Surry Community College will be hosting a Viticulture & Enology Open House on Friday, April 29, starting at 1 p.m.
During the open house, prospective Viticulture and Enology students will tour the Surry Cellars winery and vineyard and meet Enology Instructor David Bower and Viticulture Instructor Sarah Bowman. Attendees will be also able to apply to college and receive help with financial aid and class registration in preparation for the Fall 2022 semester. Additionally, there will be a chance to learn from industry members during the Meet and Greet session.
The event is free, but pre-registration is requested. Prospective students who attend will be entered for a chance to win a $500 scholarship from the Surry Community College Foundation. Those who wish to attend the open house can register at surry.edu/wine.
Viticulture is the study of grape growing, and enology is the study of winemaking. Both areas of study are a part of the Viticulture and Enology program at SCC, which offers the option of a two-year degree or four certificate options in Viticulture, Enology, Wine Marketing, and Tasting Room Operations.
SCC has the only licensed, bonded winery in the Southeast as part of a college educational program. The 2,500-gallon capacity winery has produced wine that has earned 74 medals since 2009, exhibiting the quality of the student vintages. SCC is the only college on the East Coast to teach the production of sparkling wine. The college produces about 1,500 cases of wine per year along with offering instruction for the degree program, continuing education classes, performing applied research, conducting grant work, and hosting an annual wine symposium each November.
Additionally, SCC has recently expanded sustainable agriculture facilities that are just steps away from the Surry Cellars Vineyard, extending student learning in vineyard equipment use and responsible agrichemical storage and handling. The five-acre teaching and demonstration vineyard provides hands-on learning experiences for students and prepares them for each segment of the growing season. The vineyard includes diverse plantings of both Vitis vinifera and hybrid bunch grape varieties, all of which are harvested by students and made into our award-winning wines.
High school juniors and seniors can take Viticulture classes incorporating vineyard field work with grape science and earn classes toward completing a Viticulture certificate at Surry Community College as a part of the tuition-free, Career & College Promise dual enrollment program. If you have questions about the program, contact Jeff Jones at (336) 386-3391 or jonesjr@surry.edu.
