THE SCIENCE OF WINE: AN INNOVATIVE AND ENGAGING LAB SCIENCE COURSE

“Terroir: The Science of Wine” is an interdisciplinary course that engages both traditional and adult learners. Since its approval as a lab science requirement at Guilford College, it has become the most popular course on campus, attracting a diverse and motivated group of non-major students to the Department of Geology every year.

We use geology, chemistry, geography and biology to study the history of wine, how it is grown and made, and the influence of climate, soil, and bedrock on the eventual product. Students learn the chemistry that goes into a bottle of wine by performing wine fermentation as a major lab project, including analyzing starting materials, measuring residual sugar, titratable acidity, and free SO₂, and bottling the results. Students also learn to evaluate the organoleptic properties of wine, and engage in experiential field studies of vineyard ecosystems, soil structure and properties, and commercial production facilities.

This presentation will discuss course design, innovative lab and field exercises, course approval strategies and liability concerns.