SSU Wine Business INstitute Archives

Wine Tetris Blocks – How I Fell In Love with Wine

(Contributed by J. Onodera) My interest in wine is like a game of tetris, as the “blocks” slowly fell in place over time. It all started during spring break of my junior high school year, when I toured different colleges in the Northwest, one of them being Sonoma State University. As our tour group walked to the Wine Spectator Learning Center on campus, our guide mentioned that the university was the only one in California offering wine degrees in business topics, rather than the traditional Viticulture and Enology degrees. The idea of becoming a player in wine business sparked a sense [...]

By Fiona Fang|2021-01-30T21:41:01-08:00June 9, 2020|

The Unknown Story of Gloria Ferrer Champagne Cave’s First Venture into the US Market

Contributed by Jennifer Schiff – The SSU WineSense Club’s first meeting of the Spring 2017 semester featured Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves, a prominent bubble house located in the southernmost part of Sonoma. The sparkling wine house was established in 1982 by the same folks who brought us the globally distributed Cordon Negro, Freixenet. However, there is a little known story about their first venture into the US in the early 1930’s. Multiple Wars and Unrest Delay Arrival to California After years upon years of producing cava and becoming the largest producer and exporter of sparkling wines in the world, the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T19:55:56-08:00February 24, 2017|

Keller Estate and Muscardini Cellars Join SSU in Ugly Holiday Sweater Wine Tasting

Contributed by Sophia Fish - SSU Wine Sense Club ended the semester with a bang, hosting Keller Estate and Muscardini Cellars for an Ugly Holiday Sweater Wine Club meeting! Ugly Holiday Sweater Wine Tasting at SSU About Keller Estate - A 25-Year Love Affair The development of Keller Estate has been a 25-year love affair of Arturo and Deborah Keller. The two first fell in love with the estate while driving through Sonoma County. They soon decided to make it the site for a world-class vineyard, as well as their home. The La Cruz vineyard took [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:48:09-08:00December 10, 2015|

A Glimpse into the Life of Bordeaux Buff Dewey Markham

Dewey Markham Contributed by Itze Pena-Andrade - This past Thursday, the WineSense club was very fortunate in that Dewey Markham Jr., an author and wine scholar, lead the club through a wine tasting of fine Bordeaux wines. It was an enriching and educational experience! Dewey Markham’s Wine Journey Dewey was born and raised in New York City where he attended and graduated from New York University, with a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master's degree in Cinema. During his late twenties, Dewey's professional direction turned to cuisine. After having worked as a cook for some time, he [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:48:31-08:00November 23, 2015|

SSU Wine Grads Start SommSelect and Conduct Wine Tasting at Alma Mater

Contributed by Itze Pena-Andrade - Cheers to our second WineSense Club meeting of the Fall 2015 semester! We were very excited to welcome back Brandon Carneiro and Tyler Wedeking from SommSelect to come speak with us about what SommSelect is and offers. A little bit of History Ian Cauble and Brandon Carneiro, the co-founders of SommSelect, first met at Sonoma State University in 1999 where they quickly became friends during their time as undergrads. Ian majored in international business and Spanish; Brandon studied economics. Years later, they reconnected in Las Vegas where Brandon was working as a fine wine salesperson [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:51:34-08:00October 12, 2015|

SSU WineSense Announces New Executive Board and Fall 2015 Tasting Schedule

2015/2016 Executive Board for SSU Wine Sense Club The Sonoma State University (SSU) WineSense Club proudly announces the members of the 2015/2016 Executive Board. In addition, they have developed a very exciting line-up of wineries and organizations who will be visiting campus to conduct educational wine tastings throughout the semester. 2015/2016 Executive Board for SSU Wine Sense President: Rachel Minor Vice President: Taylor Hood Treasurer: Justin Stushek VP of Marketing: Jingmei Su VP of Operations & Culinary Experiences: Matt Lopez Director of Membership: Christian Gutierrez Director of Campus Outreach: Sophia Fish Director of Campus Marketing: Jamie Huerta Director [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:52:42-08:00September 11, 2015|