Napa Valley College Unveils The New Wine Spectator Center That Is All About The Grape

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Despite being a symbol of glamour, there is a growing chance that wine from Napa Valley will be grown, bottled, and designed by community college students.

The likelihood increased on Thursday with the opening of the Wine Spectator Wine Education Center on the Napa Valley College campus dedicated to teaching the art of growing and making wine.

The original program, founded in 1984, grew into a powerhouse.

But the demand of Napa Valley's $11 billion wine industry outstripped the facilities.

Now students have a building that fits 28 lab stations, a maze of classrooms, and enough faculty offices to house two full-time and eight adjunct faculty.

The new 7,000-square-foot center now housing the Viticulture and Winery Technology Program was funded by donations, including a $10 million contribution from the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation and another donation from the estate of Evelyn Allen, a vineyard owner and former student.

More than just a building, the center represents an opportunity, Torence Powell, superintendent and president of the college, said during a ceremony celebrating the center's completion.

Professionals from other sectors who want to work in the wine industry enroll in the program.

But many are the first in their family to attend college, said Jessica Thomason, executive director of the Napa Valley College Foundation, adding that one-in-five are homeless

Many already have industry jobs, such as picking grapes or working in tasting rooms. The program provides the credentials to match their experience, including three degrees and a list of more than a dozen certificates, from viticulture to sensory evaluation.

Despite wildfires, drought, a pandemic, inflation, competition, and quickly changing consumer tastes, the wine industry continues to dominate Napa Valley's economy.

The industry supported 55,000 jobs, accounting for 72 percent of the county's total employment. Yet the majority of Napa County is still dominated by agriculture because the wine-growing industry is so profitable.

The original classrooms were constructed in 1999 with funds from the Trefethen Family Winery and Napa Valley Vintners. That was the start of the viticulture program, said Jim Cameron, who said he has written the center into his will. A lot of people are invested in the wine industry through hard work. They want to be part of the industry in different ways so the college created the program.

The center benefits the global wine industry, said Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos, a former student of the college.

"We all know how much we love our wine in Napa Valley," she said. "With wine comes hospitality," she added, gesturing to the future site of a hospitality training center to open in 2026.