YVC Wine Program Receives $25K From NWFCS

On Tuesday, Yakima Valley College announced their Vineyard and Winery Technology Program had received a $25,000 gift from Northwest Farm Credit Services.

“We are proud to offer students hands-on experience across the entire wine making process, from grape to glass, at our award-winning teaching winery,” said Vineyard and Winery Technology Instructor Trent Ball. “Washington has a fast-growing wine industry and this generous gift from Northwest Farm Credit Services will help YVC enhance the state-of-the-art teaching facilities where we prepare students for success.”

YVC’s teaching winery includes a laboratory, classrooms, tasting room, barrel and case storage, as well as two incubator winery spaces on the Grandview Campus, with a future tasting room slated to open on the college’s Yakima Campus.

Students in YVC’s Vineyard and Winery Technology Program produce between 400-700 cases of wine per year and have garnered more than 167 awards over the last 13 vintages. Ball noted YVC’s program offers a variety of associate degree and certificate options for those looking to enter the grape and wine industry, for professionals already in the industry who want to build their skills, as well as courses for community members interested in personal enrichment.

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