Stomping Grounds, located at the the University’s new Wine Spectator building next to International Hall, has swiftly become an entertainment filled place to be for students every third Thursday of the month. The Wine Spectator building opened its doors over the summer of 2018 and is home to most of the of the school ‘s business classes, especially classes for students who are involved in earning their degree in wine business. Events hosted at Stomping Grounds are led by the Director of University Culinary Services, Nancy Keller, who worked in the culinary service field with various universities over the past 20 years and at Sonoma State University since 2017. 

“We were thinking about what we could do to really generate people’s excitement about this space,” said Keller.

Outside of being a space for education, the building serves as a spot for students and staff to enjoy an array of food offerings and buy and drink wine, especially on the building’s front patio, better known as the “Stomping Grounds.” In hosting events such as “Wingo” (or, wine bingo), on Thursday, Feb. 20, Keller helped bring more students and staff out to enjoy the beautiful Wine Spectator building, educating them on various aspects of wine and wine making. 

By participating in games and events, students can play to win unique prizes and alcoholic beverages, if they are over the age of 21. 

“The first thing we did was the harvest stomp where students came and and crushed grapes with their feet and stepped on a shirt after and got to take it home with them,” said Keller. 

The event, of Keller’s reference, was held in October when the grapes in Sonoma County were starting to ripen and ready to be picked. The grapes that the students got to stomp on were grown right on campus, located in front of the Wine Spectator building. 

“I had gone to the grape stomping event at the Stomping Grounds last semester and I thought it was really interesting to learn about the production of wine in a fun casual setting since I am a wine business major myself,” said third-year Sonoma State student, Avery Shive.

Keller has also hosted other wine-based events, such as wine-based trivia games: a fun way to bring  classroom education outside to the Stomping Grounds.

“There are so many ways that wine has business,” added Keller.

Wine is much more than the fermentation of grapes; instead, it is something that requires various aspects of mastery including expertise in  wine sales and production. All of which are  necessary for students working to earn their degree in Wine Business.  

For a university  located in the heart of wine country, it almost seems essential that students at Sonoma State University gain knowledge of what the school’s region is all about.

Events like this certainly help draw students over to the new building and might even enlighten consideration surrounding  the wine business as a potential field of study. 

The Wine Spectator building is home to most of the school of business classes, but adding  an increased variety of students to come out to events at the building can give students a better appreciation for wine, its impact on the surrounding  area and may even be an influential part for students looking to major in wine business.

The next Stomping Grounds event will be held on April 16 and will feature wine tasting hosted by local wine distributors in the area. Although this event has limited spots, students who are interested in attending are encouraged to apply online and must be 21 years old. 

Make sure to check out all upcoming Stomping Grounds events, take full advantage of the University’s newest state-of-the-art building and join other engaged students in taking a true glass half-full experience on everything wine.