Four new Fresno State student-produced wines from the 2011 and 2012 harvest are available beginning today.

The Fresno State Winery celebrates the new vintage with its special Summer Wine Promotions featuring two packages:  the Summer Chardonnay 3-Pack and the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Release. Both promotions include bonus buys of Fresno State’s Nouveau wines.

Summer interns at the Fresno State Winery also bottled Pinot Noir and Late Harvest Viognier, which will have a limited release in the fall for members of the new wine club, Unleashed.

The students were in full gear the past two weeks bottling over a dozen wines totaling more than 5,000 cases. Some of the varietals are Fresno State’s specialties like the Barbera, Tempranillo and Sangiovese. The classic varietals include Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

“We are a good size small winery producing some of the valley’s best wines,” said winemaker John Giannini. “Many of the wines are now available.”

The Summer Chardonnay 3-Pack includes three chardonnays for $33.95. These wines represent different styles that give an insight into various winemaking techniques.

The Cabernet Sauvignon promotion offers a 15 percent discount on two bottles of the 2011 at $22.50 for both. The featured wines are from grapes grown by Duarte Vineyards in Stanislaus County.

Customers also have the opportunity to buy the winery’s French classic Nouveau Rouge and Nouveau Blanc at a discounted price when they purchase the Summer Chardonnay 3-Pack or the two bottles of 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Both specials begin July 2 and will continue until the end of the month or until supplies last. The special pricing is available only at the Fresno State Winery, and customers can call in an order at 559.278.6070 or visit the winery on campus (2360 E. Barstow Ave.).

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon is a limited release with 202 cases produced, said Kevin Smith, business and marketing manager for the Fresno State Winery and professor of the Wine Business and Marketing course in the Department of Viticulture and Enology.

“With that kind of student-to-barrel ratio, you know this wine received special attention along every step,” Smith said. “The Cabernet Sauvignon features ripe cherry notes with background melodies of blackberry, plum and toasty oak.”

Smith noted that students play a big role in all aspects of the production under expert the guidance of Giannini and the Department of Viticulture and Enology faculty. The Fresno State Winery is the first commercially-bonded winery on a college campus in the United States, licensed in 1997.

“This summer wine promotion presents a unique opportunity for student work to be tested in the real marketplace,” Smith said.

Giannini’s new assistant winemaker, Shayne Vetter, who graduated in May with a Bachelors of Science in Enology at Fresno State, has helped with bottling for the past three years.

“One of the best parts about the winery is sitting around a table with staff and students, tasting various wines and figuring out the best blends and winemaking techniques so that we can produce the best possible wine before bottling it,” Vetter said.

Derek Sanchez, student assistant in sales and marketing, is excited about getting these new varietals on the dinner tables of Fresno State wine fans.

“Fresno State wine is the highest expression of art and science in a bottle,” Sanchez said.

(The summer promotion is not available at the Gibson Farm Market but customers can purchase other Fresno State Wines at the new store).

Related links: