MU's wine school works to improve the industry

Grape and wine classes aim to produce new generation of winemakers.

By Jessica Silverman

Published Aug. 25, 2009

For freshman Evan Strode, the partnering of the Missouri Grape and Wine Board and MU to create the Institute for Continental Climate Viticulture and Enology is about improving the industry of grape-growing and wine-making.
"It's going to affect Missouri Midwestern wine amazingly," said Strode, who is planning to study enology through ICCVE. "The school is going to help the wine industry and make it wonderful." Jim Anderson, the director of the Missouri Grape and Wine Board, said creating ICCVE is about teaching the industry in Missouri. "Wineries have changed," Anderson said. "They now own grapes, make wine, own bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants, golf courses. They're becoming entertainment facilities. To compete, we need to invest in our young, in our future. That starts with education."

MU gives the board an opportunity to utilize food science, hotel management and restaurant management programs.

"It's a large avenue to go out and get expertise that we need to get to the next level in the wine and grape industry," Anderson said.

The ICCVE officially started on campus July 1, 2006. With offices and two labs located in Eckles Hall and an experimental winery located in a refined warehouse, the institute is working to offer degrees in viticulture (grape-growing) and enology (wine-making). The ICCVE also held the "Mizzou Wine School," an introductory workshop for students.

"It was a three-day workshop for winemakers and want-to-be winemakers," said Andrew Allen, ICCVE extension associate and viticulturist. "ICCVE's mission is to conduct and provide viticulture and enology research, and teach extension, advisory and researches."

Incoming students have the choice to study viticulture or enology, though Allen said the philosophy is to have some background in both.

"If you're going to be in wine-making, it would help you to understand what grape-growers face," Allen said. "You also need to know about grape quality to make good wine. Students will certainly get a chance to get their hands dirty in one or the other or both."

The ICCVE is in the process of building other partnerships outside state lines.

"I'm currently providing assistance in Kansas, in agreement with Kansas State University, to have our institute of viticulture and enology support the Kansas wine industry," Allen said.

The partnerships are about expanding the wine culture, Anderson said.

"Missouri is a big tourism state," Anderson said. "The more that you can create a wine culture in the U.S., in Missouri and create a wine buzz, where people come to wineries, see vineyards, it's better for the state. Because as people drink quality wine and they're traveling the states, they'll stop in Missouri and pick up Missouri products."

Cory Bomgaars, Les Bourgeois Vineyards' head winemaker and member of the Missouri Grape and Wine Board, said he's already seeing quite a bit of an effect on the industry from the ICCVE in multiple ways.

"From the extension work, definitely seen large effects on the quality of grape growing," Bomgaars said. "The workshops on the wine production side showed some improvement."

In terms of students, Bomgaars said he's seen a lot of new interest since the program started.

"More college-aged students are getting degrees to work in the wine industry," Bomgaars said.

Bomgaars went to the University of California-Davis to get an education in the industry, but said studying wine and grape styles outside the region in which a student will work is a problem.

"You're not focusing on the grape and wine styles in our region," Bomgaars said. "It's distinct from the West Coast and the East Coast. That's the advantage to having wine makers trained to make wine in our area."

Strode, who works with Bomgaars out in the vineyards, said the most important part is going out and experimenting in the wine industry.

"The outside world sees it as a pretty thing," Strode said. "It's nice, but there's obviously work involved."