College Life

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Cornell University
• University of California—Davis
• California Polytechnic State University
• Washington State University
• Arkansas Tech University

Classes in the Major

Biology. The study of all things alive, from amoebae to waterbuffalo. You can expect to learn all about cells (the pieces that living things are made of) and genes (the pants that cells wear). Gradually, you'll move on to bigger things, like grapes or even entire ecosystems. Understanding the way living things function is essential to optimizing the growing process. For instance, biologists know why you can't water plants with sports drinks. No matter how many electrolytes it has.

Chemistry. No, we're not talkin' about romance and compatibility. So then, why does it matter? Well, it's the study of change in matter. Cooking, doing laundry, burning calories, and even the butterflies in your stomach when you see that cutie in the hall all have to do with chemistry. As you can probably guess, an understanding of chemistry is essential to winemaking on a large scale. Fermentation is just about as changey as you can get. Yeast gets into grape juice and literally changes it into a different compound. Go yeast.

Statistics. Statistics are everywhere—on the news, online, in police files, and even in the fine print of Facebook's new user agreement. Think ratios, percentages, charts, and, well, data. You'll look at trends within given populations, and rather than studying the world's entire population (impractical and boring), you'll look at a contained sample and draw conclusions based on that. Stats tend to help more on the business and marketing end of viticulture, but can also help in predicting growing conditions.

Plant Science. This shouldn't be too much of a surprise since most of viticulture involves a type of plant. This class will cover all of the plant-centric biology that you didn't get in your other classes. Stuff like photosynthesis—remember how plants eat sunlight? That kind of makes them seem like monsters. You'll also learn about rooting processes, proper soil conditions, and all of the itty bitty chemical reactions that make plants grow.

Viticulture and Enology. As a burgeoning viticulturist, here's where you'll really cut your teeth. Viticulture covers the growth of vines and the harvesting of grapes. Enology covers everything about the process of winemaking. The word comes from the Greek oinos meaning "wine." Expect to learn about wine's chemistry, production and containment, and the specifics of how to critically taste it. This is where you'll finally get to drink wine as part of your class. (Despite the classy folks spitting it out into buckets.)