The start of something big

The first undergraduate wine business degree in the world was launched in 1998.

Paul Finn was one of the very first students to graduate. Today Paul is the Director of Business Planning and Analytics at The Duckhorn Portfolio.

Building our center of excellence

In June 2016 we broke ground on the Wine Spectator Learning Center. Over 300 people attended the event.

The grand opening of the Wine Spectator Learning Center took place on May 28, 2018 with over 600 in attendance. Today it is home to our classes, key events and conversations.

Creating more ways to learn

We formed a partnership with the Napa Valley Vintners at the request of their President Linda Reiff. When asked what we could do to be of service, Linda replied: ‘bring your graduate program over the hill to Napa’. With that we recruited the students and in 2012 held our first of 17 months of classes in the conference room of the NVV in St. Helena.

Pictured here is Rob McMillan of Silicon Valley Bank, guest lecturing in our inaugural edition of the Executive Wine MBA Program.

Two of our graduates from the first cohort are Brandeye Alexander and Prema Behan. Today Brandye is the Estate Marketing Manager at Groth Vineyards & Winery and Prema is the Co-Founder and GM at Three Sticks Wines.

Expanded horizons

The first graduate wine business degree in North America was launched in 2008.

Two of our earliest graduates include Stephanie Wycoff and Abigail Smyth. Today Stephanie is the Regional Estate Director and Abigail is the Export Director, both at the Crimson Wine Group. They frequently attend events on campus to mentor current students who are starting their wine careers, as Abigail is in a photo from our Spring Mixer.

Global platform

We convened the first ever Global Wine Business Education Conference in 2012. Dr. Anisya Fritz, the Proprietor of Lynmar Estate, created the content and led the conference. Here she is speaking at the opening session.

Leading educators

Faculty Member and University Distinguished Professor of Wine Dr. Liz Thach MW becomes the first female on the West Coast to achieve the distinction of Master of Wine.

The Hamel Family created our first endowed professorship and allowed us to recruit Dr. Damien Wilson from the Burgundy School of Business. Today he is our Hamel Family Chair of Wine Business.

Finding love while learning

Dubbed the Love Cohort, our 2019 graduating class of the Executive Wine MBA program, shared one proposal and one marriage on their international trip to Europe.

Pictured here are Ralph Hurd and his bride Stephanie as they make their vows on the coast in Greece.

The power of collaboration

On October 18, 2012, our alumni, faculty, board members and students met with Mel Mannion, Senior Advisor to the Chairman at M. Shanken Communications. Forging a relationship that led to important connections for our students and alumni and the creation of the Wine Spectator Learning Center, our home for collaboration and learning.

Creating new pathways

Palmer Emmitt leveraged his learnings in the graduate program to create a highly acclaimed portfolio of wine brands including, Judge Palmer and Domenica Amato which continue to grow in popularity and notarity . Here he is pictured with Marilyn Reisen, after receiving the Donn P. Reisen Wine Business Scholarship.

Gliding Eagle has brought a DTC solution to California wineries and their visitors from Asia, a company co-founded by alumnus Adam Ivor. Under Adam’s leadership, Gliding Eagle is strengthening California’s global reputation and expanding wineries customers base.

Researching the way

In 2012 Armand Gilinsky, Sandra Newton and Doug Jordan analyzed five years of data with partner Silicon Valley Bank to publish An Empirical Investigation into Status, Innovation, and Financial Performance in The Wine Industry.

In 2013 our research partnership with Moss Adams, Turrentine Brokerage and American AgCredit led to the publication of the Wine Industry Financial Benchmarking Report.

Also in 2013, our team worked in partnership with Wine Institute to produce The Impact of Wine Franchise Laws on Consumer Choice and Pricing: A Comparison Between Georgia (a Franchise Law State) and Florida (a Non-Franchise Law State). The study assisted policy makers by clearly establishing that Florida offers more wine selection and lower wine prices on matching brands than Georgia.

Pictured are several of our distinguished Wine Business Faculty at the Grand Opening of the Wine Spectator Learning Center.

Wine industry scholars program

Launched in 2017 by the WBI Board of Directors, the program supports first generation students from families who have worked in the wine industry. Students can choose any course of study at Sonoma State and to date nearly one hundred students have benefited directly with scholarships of $10,000.

Pictured here are the 2019 scholarship recipients after lunch with our Board of Directors.