With the passage of AB 1989 (the “Sip & Spit” bill), California students over age 18 are now able to taste wine in an educational setting. The bill will allow California State University wine programs to provide a more comprehensive curriculum that better prepares students to enter the industry. Dr. James Kennedy, chair of Fresno State’s Department of Viticulture and Enology, says students must taste wine in order to learn how to identify complex characteristics including varietals, regions and flaws. Since students previously had to wait until age 21 to fulfill this requirement, some were taking longer to graduate. See full story at the CSU Leader blog. INFO: Tom Uribes at tomu@csufresno.edu.
