Clark Smith announces the launch of the online version of his popular wine chemistry course.
August 20th – Delivered in person to more than 4,500 winemakers since 1984, Smith’s “Fundamentals of Modern Wine Chemistry” (FMWC) has offered a crash course alternative to an academic degree in enology to winemakers, cellar hands, lab techs, and others with limited time. The course was designed to provide value to all levels, from the fresh beginner to the seasoned professional.
The in-person class was last taught in March 2020, just days before shelter-in-place orders put an end to in-person learning for the foreseeable future.
“People had been asking me to make the course available online for years,” Smith said, “and the pandemic provided the urgency needed to make it happen.”
FMWC has been described by participants as “like drinking from a fire hose” because of the volume of information packed into a weekend presentation. “In designing the video version,” says Smith, “I realized that it would be much more helpful to students to make the material available in a format that would let them take it in at their own pace. With a series of short videos, it is easy for them to learn and review things as needed.”
Learning online also will save people the time and expense necessary to travel for a live weekend event. This way, participants can work through the course from the comfort of their homes to upgrade their expertise at their own pace.
Smith originated the course at the Cooperative Extension of the University of California at Davis, where it played to packed audiences for two decades. He has since presented it throughout the United States several times per year to audiences in Missouri, Iowa, Virginia, Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington and Oregon, as well as California’s Sonoma Valley, Temecula Valley, Ramona Valley and Paso Robles.
Details of the course, which includes a 550-page syllabus, are available at GrapeCraft Wine Academy’s website.
