There's more to wine than just growing the grapes

Seven years ago, Amy Mumma came to Central Washington University with a plan. She wanted to establish a Global Wine Studies program.

One where students, consumers and industry members could learn about merchandising and selling wine. She expected resistance from administrators. She was wrong.

"We need a support structure to get our wine out there," said Mumma, the program's coordinator and lead instructor. "We have more than 500,000 wineries in the world. We need to differentiate ourselves."

To that end, Mumma and Central created a program that includes trade and consumer classes, a wine trade professional certificate and a wine trade and tourism minor.

She also established a bachelor of science degree in Global Wine Studies in 2008, the only undergraduate program in the country that focuses on the business side of the industry, Mumma said.

"Twenty percent of consumers drink 80 percent of the wines," she said. "We need to get a bigger slice (for Washington). That's what this program tries to do."

In 1981, there were 19 wineries in Washington. Now, there are more than 600. The economic impact of the state's wine industry has grown from $2.4 billion in 1999 to $3 billion today.

To keep pace with the rapid growth, Mumma said qualified people are needed for a variety of careers, including winery and vineyard management, wine merchandising, e-commerce and distribution.

Although many people are enraptured by the wine-country dream, she said the dream costs money. There's the cost of the grapes, equipment and barrels, then there's a one- to two-year wait before the product is available for sale.

Selling the wine is another matter, because consumers have choices. That's why marketing and branding are especially important, as is knowing the laws governing importing and exporting, she said.

"(If you don't), your wine can stop at a port and stay there," she said. "Regulations change daily. ... This is a complicated industry. Very complicated."

Students in Global Wine Studies are taught professional tasting techniques to detect, prevent and fix wine faults, in addition to wine business issues and the global wine industry.

The professional certification, which can be completed in one year, covers such topics as viticulture, oenology, world wine regions and wine marketing. The minor takes one to two years and includes those topics plus retailing, management and tourism.

The four-year degree is the most expansive, with additional instruction in such areas as wine faults, world cultures, advanced sensory analysis and international wine law.

Eighty-five percent of the program's graduates land jobs in the industry; most stay in Washington, Mumma said.

Jenn Jones, a 2009 degree graduate, says everything she's learned from Mumma has been applicable to her job at Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards and Winery in Richland. There, she assists the tasting room manager, helps coordinates events and participates in day-to-day operations.

"You can make the best wine in the world, but if you can't market it and sell it, you have no chance of surviving," said Jones, 23. "All the assignments had to do with real-life scenarios, so you could see why you were taking the class. You saw the relevance in it. That kept you motivated."

Beth McGuffin agrees. She graduated from Central in 2007 with a world wine program certificate and a minor in wine trade and tourism. Now she works as the marketing and trade manager for Benson Vineyards in Manson, Wash.

"Amy's program has a good overview about everything from the wine business. It touches on winemaking, vineyards and gets down to the nitty-gritty of the wine industry," said 25-year-old McGuffin. "Every single thing you learn there you could apply at a winery."

When the certificate program launched in 2004, four people enrolled. Now, the number of students is capped at 30 and there are waiting lists, said Mumma, who teaches the curriculum with one other instructor. To date, 20 people have graduated from her program with a degree, and another 150 have earned a professional certificate.

Mumma is continually bombarded with application requests from people throughout the country, which is why she's creating an online version of the certificate program, she said. Through it, students could complete the curriculum at their own pace but would have to come to Central for a week of wine tastings. Mumma hopes to offer the program by the end of the year.

For the online program, she's setting up a satellite site in Virginia -- the location of which depends on the number of people who enroll. Through it, people living closer to that state could complete their week of tastings there, under someone Mumma has trained, instead of flying to Washington.

Mumma hopes to establish similar sites throughout the country, adding the curriculum will still belong to Central.

Vicky Scharlau, executive director of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers, and Roger Gamache, winemaker for Gamache Vintners in Prosser, have lectured in Mumma's classes. To them, the wine studies program is a vital component of the state's wine industry and gives new employees an edge over the competition.

"People need to understand that the whole world of marketing and sales is not simplistic by any means," Gamache said. "You have a toolbox full of tools. The more you hone those tools and skill sets, the more professional you are. ... Amy is one of those tools that will help us move forward."

Scharlau agrees, saying Mumma's graduates are filling positions that help the industry grow.

"Her corner of the market is unique," Scharlau said. "She really has the pulse on the needs, the trends and the future."

Mumma said she doesn't want to stretch the program too thin. Instead, she wants to strengthen its core and debunk notions that the wine business is open to an elite few. If she can spread her passion for wine to others, she said she'll have done her job. "Art, science and business all combine into a glass," Mumma said about wine studies. "It's a beautiful thing."