UW-Madison food science department to celebrate new wine industry partnership
What: Open house to learn about UW–Madison partnership with wine industry
When: 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12
Where: Wollersheim Winery, Prairie du Sac
UW-Madison food science department to celebrate new wine industry partnership
Media representatives are invited to an open house to learn more about the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Food Science’s expanding educational partnership with members of Wisconsin’s wine industry, including Wollersheim Winery, the Wisconsin Winery Association and the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association.
The event, which runs from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac, will highlight the department’s efforts to support the state’s growing wine industry, including a new food science course for undergraduates — FS375: The Science of Wine — which launched this past spring.
Students in the inaugural course learned about the chemistry and microbiology involved in making wine and also participated in the production of a red blend at Wollersheim. This collaborative project — known as Campus Craft Winery — yielded 230 cases of wine, which were sold via the Wisconsin Union and other outlets under the name “Red Fusion.”
Reporters who attend the open house will receive an update about Red Fusion. They will also have the opportunity to meet students enrolled in this fall’s winemaking course and learn about their plans for this semester’s two Campus Craft Winery products — a red and a white.
Proceeds from the sale of Campus Craft Winery products go to support the food science department’s wine-related outreach, instruction and research efforts.
The Oct. 12 open house will feature a 30-minute program starting at 2 p.m., followed by a reception and tours of the winery. Program speakers will include:
- Philippe Coquard, winemaker for Wollersheim Winery
- Scott Rankin, professor and chair of the UW–Madison Department of Food Science
- Jim Steele, UW–Madison food science professor
- Kate VandenBosch, dean of the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Reporters who plan to attend the event are asked to RSVP to Monica Theis at mltheis@wisc.edu or (608) 263-2225.