I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Equipment Technology for the Wine Business

2. Course Prefix & Number:
VITI 1250

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

4. Course Description:

5. Placement Tests Required:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

9. Co-requisite Courses:

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

Missouri State University, VIN 250, 3 credis
Highland Community College, VIN 250, 3 credits

2. Transfer - regional institutions with which this course has a written articulation agreement:

The Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA)

3. Prior Learning - the following prior learning methods are acceptable for this course:

• Military Experience
• Specialty Schools
• Written
• Oral
• Demonstration
• Portfolio

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course fulfills a requirement for the following program(s):

Wine Business and Entrepreneurship, AAS and Certificate

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Describe the basic operation of vineyard equipment;
• Identify and compare best technologies and equipment for preparing a vineyard location and site;
• Assess, select and justify appropriate pre-plant equipment and technologies based upon site and cultivar specific criteria;
• Identify and compare technologies and equipment employed to develop a vineyard;
• Assess, select and justify appropriate vineyard development equipment and technologies based upon site and cultivar specific criteria;
• Identify and compare technologies and equipment utilized to manage an established vineyard;
• Assess, select and justify appropriate vineyard management equipment and technologies based upon site and cultivar specific criteria;
• Identify the economy of scales for vineyard equipment and technologies based upon your business model;
• Describe the basic operation of winery equipment;
• Identify and compare technologies and equipment used to receive, sort, destem, crush and press fruit;
• Assess, select and justify appropriate pre-plant equipment and technologies based upon site and cultivar specific criteria;
• Identify and compare winemaking philosophies as they relate to technologies and equipment utilized in commercial wine production;
• Assess, select and justify appropriate winemaking philosophies as they relate to technologies and equipment utilized in commercial wine production;
• Identify and compare technologies and equipment used to bottle and package wine;
• Assess, select and justify appropriate technologies and equipment to bottle and package wine; and
• Identify the economy of scales for winery equipment and technologies at various discrete volumes of production based upon your business model.

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Vineyard Equipment Operation
• Recommended operation and maintenance of vineyard equipment
• OSHA regulation as they relate to vineyard equipment
• Key features and major components of vineyard equipment
2. Best technologies and equipment for preparing a vineyard location and site
• Farm equipment selection based upon your determined farming philosophy (e.g. organic vs. commercial)
• How to obtain and evaluate soil mapping reports
• Soil preparation prior to planting
• Irrigation and subsurface drainage (tiling) design
• Survey, topographical and GPS guidance equipment
• Necessary farm buildings for safe storage of equipment and materials
• Compare and contract farm equipment based upon your determined farming philosophy (e.g. organic vs. commercial
3. Technologies and equipment employed to develop a vineyard
• Mechanical planting technologies
• Hand tool selection
• Trellis installation technologies
• Major components of irrigation and subsurface drainage (tiling) systems
• Major components of frost control systems
• Perimeter fencing systems
• Climate monitoring technologies
4. Technologies and equipment utilized to manage an established vineyard
• Herbicide and pesticide spray programs and equipment based upon your determined farming philosophy (e.g. organic vs. commercial)
• Canopy and crop management equipment
• Vineyard floor management and vine graft-union protection technologies
• Fertilizer application technologies
• Major components of irrigation systems
• Mechanical or manual harvesting technologies
• Vertebrate pest management
• Mechanical or manual pruning technologies
5. Economy of scales for vineyard equipment and technologies 
• Appropriate vineyard equipment and technologies for a vineyard of 0-5 acres
• Appropriate vineyard equipment and technologies for a vineyard of 6-25 acres
• Appropriate vineyard equipment and technologies for a vineyard of 26-50 acres
• Appropriate vineyard equipment and technologies for a vineyard of 50 acres or greater
6. Basic operation of winery equipment
• Recommended operation and maintenance of winery equipment
• OSHA regulation as they relate to winery equipment
• Key features and major components of winery equipment
7. Technologies and equipment used to receive, sort, destem, crush and press fruit
• Pre-harvest fruit analysis and tools (pH meter, refractometer, TA test)
• Receiving equipment (i.e. hoppers, augers, belts)
• Material handling equipment (i.e. forklifts, hoists, scales)
• Fruit sorting (i.e. manual sorting tables, mechanical sorting)
• Crushing and destemming equipment
• Pressing equipment
• Hand tools used in a winery
• Sanitation equipment (i.e., water heaters, pressure washers, steam generators)
• Waste and wastewater removal
8. Winemaking philosophies as they relate to technologies and equipment utilized in commercial wine production
• Pumps, fittings and hoses
• Fermentation and storage vessels (i.e., tanks, barrels)
• Clarification equipment (including gravity or particle size based)
• Other technologies and equipment (i.e., oxygen management, portable heating/cooling units, electrical phase converters)
• Sanitation processes and practices
9. Technologies and equipment used to bottle and package wine
• In-house vs. mobile bottling services
• Rinsing and sparging equipment
• Filling equipment
• Cappers, crowners and corkers
• Foil and capsule application equipment
• Label application equipment
• Alternative packing
10. Economy of scales for winery equipment and technologies at various discrete volumes of production based upon your business model
• Appropriate winery equipment and technologies for less than 500 cases of annual production
• Appropriate winery equipment and technologies for 500 to 2,000 cases of annual production
• Appropriate winery equipment and technologies for 2,000 to 5,000 cases of annual production
• Appropriate winery equipment and technologies for 5,000 to 10,000 cases of annual production
• Appropriate winery equipment and technologies for greater than 10,000 cases of annual production