Winery Run By Las Positas College Students Gets License To Sell

LIVERMORE, CA — Las Positas College's winery is ready to start selling the fruits of students' labor. The college's Campus Hill Winery has earned its Viticulture and Enology Foundation license, which allows wine developed by LPC students to be made and sold to the general public onsite, as well as in local restaurants and wine stores, the college recently announced.

Proceeds from wine sales will be used for funding LPC's Viticulture and Winery Technology programs, the college announced.

Nestled in the heart of the Tri-Valley's rich wineries, LPC's Viticulture and Winery Technology programs prepare students for transfer to four-year colleges and universities and for careers in the wine industry through degree and certificate pathways, according to the college. Students are provided with the education and training needed for career advancement and to gain entry-level positions in the field.

The program, which has been offered since 2004, originally provided students with experiences at local wineries, but LPC added its own vineyard in 2007 to make the process more hands-on.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for the college to continue to build upon the heritage of Tri-Valley's wine country," said Nan Ho, LPC's Dean of Academic Service for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. "At Las Positas, students learn the entire process from growing the fruit and taking care of the vineyard, to harvest, crush, fermentation, bottling and labeling - and now our community can purchase the wine the students have made."

Campus Hill Winery's red wine, South Slope Field Blend-2017, won gold and Best of Show/Double Gold in the amateur category at the 2019 Alameda County Fair wine competition. The new licensure will allow the winery to join with commercial cellars in future competitions.

"This is an exciting milestone," said LPC's Viticulture and Winery Technology Faculty and Program Coordinator David Everett. "This will give students experience in a producing winery. Adhering to compliance is key. Following strict protocols and practices is important to an operating winery. Having the students gain experience selling wine face-to-face with retailers will be a great learning opportunity."

LPC's Fall 2019 harvest could be released with white and rosé wines as early as Spring 2020, with a red wine likely available in Fall 2020.

Future students interested in learning more about LPC's classes, including World Wines, Introduction to Enology, and Winery Operations, which teaches students how to make wine, can visit www.laspositascollege.edu/vwt/.