Specialist of Texas Wine Level 2

The Advanced Course builds upon the foundation established in Level 1, offering more in-depth exploration of Texas wine regions, their unique characteristics, and diverse wine styles. Developed by Dr. Russ Kane, the longest-tenured Texas wine writer who has chronicled the modern Texas wine industry’s evolution, this course benefits from his extensive knowledge and experience. Dr. Kane is an award-winning writer, author, and the creator of the Vintage Texas blog. He has served on the boards of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, receiving their Wine Media Award in 2009 and 2013, and The Wine Society of Texas, where he was also Executive Director. He has judged numerous international wine competitions and was a member of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Wine Industry Development Advisory Committee.

The course is currently taught by Denise Clarke, a wine educator based in Austin, Texas, who also teaches WSET Level 1 courses through the Texas Wine School. Denise has over 15 years of experience studying, writing about, and sharing wine knowledge, with a particular focus on the Texas wine industry. She holds several wine certifications, including Certified Wine Educator, Certified Sommelier, WSET Level 3, and Specialist of Texas Wine Advanced. As one of Texas’s top wine ambassadors, she is dedicated to educating and inspiring the next generation of Texas wine enthusiasts.

Enrolled students will receive a copy of “Starting a Vineyard in Texas,” a primer by Jim Kamas, a Texas A&M Agrilife Viticulture Specialist with extensive experience in grape and fruit growing in Texas.

The course explores the unique landscapes of Texas’s eight wine regions: Texas High Plains, Texas Hill Country (including its sub-AVAs Bell Mountain and Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country), Texoma, Escondido Valley, and Davis Mountains AVAs, as well as non-AVA regions like East Texas and the Gulf Coast. It also discusses proposals for new AVAs in Texas. The Advanced Course contextualizes Texas as a warm growing region, similar to renowned wine regions in Spain, France, Italy, and Australia, but with the added complexity of sporadic chilling cold in spring, fall, and winter. The impact of these conditions on Texas winegrowing and winemaking will be thoroughly examined.

Course Highlights

This course covers:

• A detailed timeline of Texas’s transition from its early wine culture to a modern wine industry, including the pivotal role of T.V. Munson in saving European vineyards from the Phylloxera scourge and his enduring influence on global rootstock selections with Texas native grape varieties. Munson’s work with native grapevines continues to inspire new approaches to combating vineyard diseases through vinifera-native hybrids.
• An in-depth exploration of Texas’s wine regions, examining the origins of their soils, climatic conditions (such as temperatures, typical weather events, and precipitation), the potential impacts of global warming, and ongoing challenges facing the wine industry, including issues related to herbicides.
• A comprehensive analysis of the factors distinguishing warm growing regions like Texas from cooler regions, focusing on critical differences in varietal and blend selections, winemaker decisions, and wine styles.
• Guidance on starting a vineyard in Texas and considerations for opening and operating a Texas winery, including varietal selection, natural hazards, and economic analyses. This includes the price and availability of grape varieties across various Texas AVAs, managing Pierce’s disease, sustainability concerns, the economic impact of herbicide damage, and a review of economic models and strategies for managing income streams for successful winery operations.
• An archive of one-on-one videos featuring Texas growers, winemakers, and winery owners discussing topics covered in this course.
• Access to over 180 course slides (some presented in class and others assigned as homework reading with subsequent discussion sessions) and a bibliography of over 100 references and resource documents used in developing this course.

Wine Tasting, Blend Exercise, and Final Exam

The Advanced Course also includes tastings of selected Texas wines and a blending exercise where students plan, taste, blend, and evaluate their own wine creations. This exercise is conducted partly in class and partly as homework, with students required to submit a written blending sheet to the instructor. The blending exercise will be graded and will account for up to 20 percent of each student’s final grade. The remainder of the grade will be based on a comprehensive certification examination consisting of at least 50 multiple-choice questions.

Student Dropbox Access

Students will have access to a special Dropbox location containing all course materials, including copies of slides (both those used in class and assigned as homework), videos, an extensive bibliography of course references and related information sources, and supplemental files such as the blending sheet, tasting notes, exam answer sheet, and course evaluation form.