Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service enology specialists will offer a day-long training on May 5 in College Station for participants to enhance their winery lab skills and gain analytical expertise.
The program will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences Horticulture and Forest Sciences Building, 495 Horticulture Road, Room 224.
The program is a hands-on training where AgriLife Extension enology experts will review common winery lab tests and procedures, as well as various lab reagents and equipment options available.
This training will cover both theoretical and hands-on aspects and give attendees a comprehensive understanding of winery lab analytical practices so they can ensure the highest quality in the wines for winery production.
Enology specialists teach practical skills, experience
Andreea Botezatu, Ph.D., assistant professor and AgriLife Extension enology specialist in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station, said registration is limited to the first 20 applicants in order to provide each attendee more attention and instruction.
Cost is $675 per person or $525 per person for two or more participants registering together. Register at https://tx.ag/WineryLabSkills.
A light breakfast, coffee, pastries and lunch are included in the cost. Pay-for-parking spaces are available in Lot 74 or the University Garage on John Kimbrough Blvd. Botezatu recommends wearing closed-toe shoes but said attendees will be provided lab coats, gloves and safety goggles.
Four knowledgeable instructors will guide attendees through the training, providing expert insights and answering any questions, Botezatu said. By the end of the day, participants will have expanded their winery lab analytical skills and be better equipped to produce high-quality wines.
Botezatu said this workforce skills training will improve attendees’ skills and knowledge, whether they are in a winery lab or wanting to seek employment in one.
“This practical experience will give you the confidence to apply what you have learned in your own winery lab or find employment in a winery quality control lab,” she said. “It’s a course we think the industry needs, and it is aimed at anyone who wants to work in the wine industry. It is a great opportunity for someone to learn good lab practices, vitally important analyses and skills, whether they have some experience or are a novice.”
Types of analyses and equipment
Trainees will have the opportunity to perform the analyses discussed and demonstrated during the workshop, Botezatu said.
Analyses and equipment included in the program are brix/soluble solids with hydrometry and refractometry, titratable acidity; alcohol content through ebulliometer and electronic alcolyzer; free and total sulfur dioxide, via aeration/oxidation, probe; volatile acidity; dissolved oxygen by probe; dissolved carbon dioxide by carbodoseur and pH levels via probe.
“All these analyses are critical to decision-making, producing and monitoring wines in the lab,” Botezatu said. “These are skills wineries are looking for because they are essential to making better quality wine.”
For more information, contact Botezatu at [email protected].
