For many college students, building a résumé means putting down volunteer and job experience, but the wine business department students will be able to put more than the basics down on paper. In the spring of 2015, the wine business department is hosting a “Creating a Competitive Wine Brand” course to earn a certificate through Extended Education. 

The Wine Business program at Sonoma State University is a part of the School of Business and Economics that started in 1998. 

The wine business concentration is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.  Sonoma State is one of the 15 percent of schools who meet the standards and qualifications of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

“Well I certainly think the wine business program is one of the best [programs] on campus,” said senior wine business major Melissa Mensinger. “It’s filled with passionate teachers who not only teach us about the industry as a whole, but can share their own experiences with us.” 

Through the certificate program, students will have the opportunity to learn how to differentiate their product and understand their brand. One of the difficulties faced today is being able to differentiate themselves from others in the wine industry. 

The wine business program offers five other certificate options to students such as wine branding, wine business management, tasting room management, wine industry finance and accounting and direct consumer certificates. The Sonoma State Wine Business Institute won the 2014 WINnovation award from the North Coast Wine Industry.

“Choosing Wine Business as a concentration was one of the best choices I have made at Sonoma,” said Mensinger, “The program is also one of the best as far as internships and jobs are concerned. Professors and advisers will be there to help you secure a job within the industry.” 

Mensinger is a senior in the Wine Business Institute. Though Mensinger is unable to take the certificate course, she believes students will enjoy the course and will leave with a higher knowledge of wine business. 

The assistant professor of marketing at Sonoma State, Kyuho Lee, holds a doctorate from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University and will be teaching the certificate course in February. 

Lee wants to ensure students have a balance of theory and application to students taking the course. 

Lee has taught brand management for professional and Executive MBA programs at Sonoma State University. 

Lee studied brand management, consumer behavior, hospitality and tourism management, and would like to bring all this knowledge to the students in his course. 

Upcoming events the Wine Business Institute will be hosting are the VESTA Sensory workshop and getting an MBA through Sonoma State in March of 2015. 

Contact Extended Education by phone: 707-664-2394 or email at [email protected]  about the “Creating a Competitive Wine Brand.”