Surry Business

Surry Community College’s Viticulture and Enology program has improved the quality and quantity of wine its students produce. Now it’s time to increase their wines’ distribution.

The “Surry Cellars” wines were poured at wine festivals for the first time this year. The viticulture program this fall will market seven 2006 wines to retail outlets including local supermarkets. Developing and running the marketing campaign will be part of the students’ course work.

Growing grapes, making wine and selling it are all essential components of the viticulture degree program that has about 70 students taking classes either on campus or online.

Gill Giese, who heads up the viticulture component of the program, told the Surry Messenger that having to put a wine on the market forces students to focus hard on their studies and better prepare for entry into the industry. “There’s a lot more on the line when the public starts buying and consuming your product,” he said. “Students have to commit to making the sale.”