Viticulture and Enology

There’s more to wine than choosing the right bottle. Spend your Maymester mastering its finer aspects; and learn about its production, health implications, cultivation and economic impact on Cortona, Italy. Students will stay in a renovated 15th century monastery in the heart of Italian wine culture and share dinners at a local family-run restaurant.

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  • A major part of the Viticulture & Enology Maymester is visiting vineyards and wineries to see how the wines are made and hear about each place’s agricultural practices. Looking back on this program, I would say that these field trips were truly an essential and enlightening part of the trip for anyone looking to go…

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  • Closing time

    As my study abroad comes to an end I have mix filings of sadness and excitement. Everything is a last, our last dinner at Tonino’s, our last class, the last night I sleep in the dorms and the last time I will see the gorgeous mountaintop view from the dorms (at least for now). However,…

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  • I wake up every morning to the most breathtaking mountaintop view I have ever seen! The green fields go on for miles. Classes start really early, so I am sitting in class at 8 am. After class, I and group of friends always head into town and eat at a local pizzeria or eat leftovers from the…

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  • Post Cortona blues

    The Cortona viticulture and enology study abroad was more than I could have imagined. We learned about how to make wine, grow grapes, and visited multiple vineyards. We had wine tastings every day where we would smell the aroma of the wines and describe the scents as well as examine their flavor compounds. This was…

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  • Before this trip I considered wine an interest; now I consider it a passion. Something about the unique science behind wine, the way it’s grown from fruit and transformed into alcohol, captivates me. I’m in love with the multi-culturality and history of wine-the way it brings people from all generations and all different countries together.…

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  • On this trip, we get the privilege to travel to all sorts of vineyards, which seems like a dream come true. It doesn’t even feel like school to me, but La Braccesca Estate in particular absolutely blew my mind. I felt like royalty from the second we arrived and were greeted with sparkling wine, all…

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  • On this trip, we get the privilege to travel to all sorts of vineyards, which seems like a dream come true. It doesn’t even feel like school to me, but La Baresco Estate in particular absolutely blew my mind. I felt like royalty from the second we arrived and were greeted with sparkling wine, all…

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  • Ciao, Italy

    Today marks T-1 day until my flight leaves for Italy, and I am both excited and anxious about the journey that lies ahead of me! Traveling to new countries can also be nerve-racking, especially when you know very little of the native language that they speak. Having never taken Italian in my life, this fear…

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  • I am ready to board the plane tomorrow morning. I am in a unique situation. Since I am an international student, I have technically been studying abroad for the last three years. However, going to a new country is always nerve-racking. I am looking forward to making friends and experiencing the Italian culture. Classes start…

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