Bachelor's in Viticulture and Winemaking

Objectives of the Programme:

The aim of the educational program is to give graduates of the Bachelor’s in Viticulture both theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of winemaking. Graduates will have a wide range of knowledge and professional skills meeting modern requirements. They will know general basics in the field of viticulture and winemaking of Georgia, as well as major varieties of vines, agrotechnical rules and norms of their planting, growth/formation and cultivation, as well as their biological and ecological aspects. They will know classical method of winemaking, as well as other basic technologies of processing/enhancement and bottling. Graduates will be able to select and use modern methods of wine processing.

Career Options:

Graduates of the Bachelor’s in Viticulture and Winemaking program have wide employment perspectives, namely:

• wine producing companies;
• wine laboratories;
• small farms;
• viticulture and wine-making consulting firms;
• Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia
• LEPL National Agency of Wine;
• NGOs of relevant profile;
• state and non-governmental food safety monitoring organisations.

Learning Outcomes: 

After completion of the program, graduates will know different types of soil, its fertility and processing; vine morphology, its vital processes and development phases; vine pests and diseases, causes of their origin, fighting measures and prevention; planning and cultivation of vineyards; management of the harvest processing; wine-making methods taking into consideration the vineyard and agro-climatic conditions; wine processing and bottling.

On the basis of this knowledge the graduate will be able to evaluate the soil and select the appropriate grape varieties according to the agro-climatic terms. Graduates will be able to build a vineyard and ensure its care and development. They will be able to plan a harvest, reap it using their knowledge of wine making, processing and bottling. They will be able to select and manage the required machinery for marani (traditional Georgian wine-cellar).

After completing the Bachelor's Degree in Viticulture and Winemaking, graduates will own general and specific competencies listed below:

General Competences:

Graduates will be able to:

• apply critical thinking, discuss and debate;
• professionally write and communicate in native language;
• write and communicate scientific material in foreign languages (English and French);
• adapt and act in unfamiliar and changing environments;
• work in a group;
• use modern information and communication technologies;
• plan a research, conduct it, analyze the results and draw conclusions;
• process scientific literature, analyse it and publicly discuss it;
• appreciate and respect the differences and cultural diversity.

Specific Competences:

Graduates will have:

• knowledge of the characteristics of plant biology, ongoing biochemical and physiological processes in the plant;
• ability to estimate soils geneses, cultivate soils and implement fertility management;
• knowledge of the historical and geographical origins of vines; European, American and Asian species; varieties, clones and hybrids of vine: table, raisin and rootstock grapes;  countries, regions and specific zones with viticulture;
• knowledge of the vine anatomy ecophysiology; growth-development stages of vine and phenology; recommended and / or limited ecological conditions for vine cultivation; effect of viticulture specific zones (teruaris).
• knowledge of the rules of vegetative propagation; ability to select  vine rootstocks, that are phylloxera resistant, to bread single-year and green tincture rootstocks;
• ability to handle vine selection, adopt and improve new varieties, using hybridization and in vitro technologies; knowledge of clone selection methods;
• ability to prepare the vineyard site, process soil, plant rootstocks, arrange supporting systems, select proper vineyard design;
• ability to seasonally manage vineyards: manage vine pests, use integrated protection methods; supervise irrigation, vine nutrition; balance vegetative and generational development, carry out formative pruning, vine care operations; organize harvesting;
• ability to plan and manage harvest, conduct alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, physio-chemical analysis, wine processing, handling and bottling; select and use the necessary equipment for technological processes;
• ability to organoleptically evaluate wine, determine the origin of wine diseases and prevent it; evaluate the specifics of wine from Georgia and other countries and present it to consumers;
• understanding of the importance of marketing and develop a marketing plan, define product representation and positioning, come up with a bottle label and formulate brand identity;
• ability to find information materials on viticulture and winemaking issues in order to formulate a problem, analyze it and solve it, forming a reasonable conclusion.

Full description of the programme 

Curriculum