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17 FALL 2018 • VOLUME 8.1 COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY VITICULTURE AND ENOLOGY Being situated in Colorado's grape-growing and wine country led to the development of the only viticulture and enology degree program in the state. Grapes and wine are not the traditional higher education path, and likewise, most of the program's students didn't take a traditional path to arrive there. "Most haven't come to the program directly from high school," said Jenne Baldwin-Eaton, who joined the program as a technical instructor at its start in 2017. "Many are looking for second careers. What makes them fun to teach is they know this is what they want to do." Western Colorado Community College offers technical certificate programs in viticulture (grape growing and harvesting) and enology (wine and winemaking). In the spring of 2017, CMU/WCCC introduced an Associate in Applied Science degree program combining the two aspects of the grape and wine business. The program's first students are slated to graduate in December 2018. Grape growing and wine making were not Baldwin- Eaton's original career goals either. She completed a bachelor's degree in physical education but her minor in chemistry landed her a part-time job as a chemist at Plum Creek Cellars in Palisade, Colorado. During the following 22 years at Plum Creek, she learned every aspect of running a commercial winery. CMU/WCCC is the only Colorado school offering a viticulture-enology program. There are fewer than 20 institutions in the country offering certificate and/ or associate degree programs in this field, the next closest being in California and Washington. Only a half dozen schools offer bachelor's degree programs, again, the nearest are on the west coast. "Part of the draw of our program is that it's very hands on," Baldwin-Eaton said. "Depending on the school, some are more lab work." CMU's students learn the chemistry of making wine and are in the vineyard planting and pruning vines, she said. Growing grapes and making wine is different in western Colorado Baldwin-Eaton explained. "We are making wines and learning to grow grapes specific to our growing area. Our higher elevation and more intense sun means our grapes have thicker skins and more tannins than grapes grown elsewhere." Students learn about growing at a Colorado State University agricultural research vineyard site in Orchard Mesa and benefit from tours and experiences at commercial vineyards in the valley. "That CMU started this program speaks volumes. We don't want everyone to have to start where the industry did in the '80s," she said. The CMU program will ensure today's growers and winemakers will benefit from the experience of the Grand Valley's wine industry pioneers.