​​​The craft beverage industry currently consisting of wineries, breweries and distilleries, is expanding rapidly throughout this region. A common thread among these businesses is the presence of tasting rooms as key marketing venues. Collectively, these tasting rooms have the potential to develop into a major attraction bringing tourists into the region, with beverage tourism becoming an economic driver in the hospitality industry. This program is designed to prepare a workforce capable of managing tasting rooms across the business sector, which will deliver exemplary tasting room experiences. Students entering this program will be adult learners (21 years or older) either seeking to enter the beverage tourism field, or currently employed in tasting rooms and seeking to advance their careers. 

Program Goals 

• ​Serve alcoholic beverages in compliance with relevant State and Federal regulations in tasting rooms and remote venues. 
• Distinguish between when to serve a patron or to withhold service, and to implement that decision in a courteous and effective manner. 
• Speak knowledgeably about alcoholic beverages including general information on production techniques, history, cultural context and food pairings.
• Effectively perform sensory evaluation on a variety of alcoholic beverages and speak knowledgeably on the results of this evaluation.
• Convey information regarding winery, brewery, and distillery venues and related accommodations.