Created by four of France’s top agricultural science schools (Bordeaux Sciences Agro (Officiel) ENSATAgroSup Dijon and Montpellier SupAgro), and taught by four of their professors, a FREE Vine & Wine MOOC starts tomorrow Wednesday November 13 at 1pm UTC.

So if you want to learn more about vines and wines including

• wine-making and sales
• the biology of the vine
• viticultural practices
• oenology and the wine economy

without spending a fortune, then this FREE five week MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is for you! The live Wednesday webinars are held at 2pm in France which means 5am in California — not so convenient for us on Pacific time unless a super early riser, but not too bad for folks on the East Coast. Fortunately while the live webinar is at a set time, you can watch and replay the videos at any time after they’re published. Bonus: Videos are in English with subtitles in French, English, and Mandarin. For those of us who can’t attend the live webinar and ask professors questions, a forum will be set up for discussion on the various topics. At the end of each module, test your knowledge; a certificate is available.

SIgn up now for the VINE AND WINE MOOC  or anytime until December 8.

Faculty for the MOOC are:

GRÉGORY GAMBETTA

Professor of Viticulture at Bordeaux Sciences Agro, interested in vine growth mechanisms, response to stress and berry ripening. EGFV joint research unit.

FV.

CHRISTIAN CHERVIN

Professor of Viticulture at Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique in Toulouse, interested in production, ripening and preservation of fruits. GBF joint research unit.

BRUNO BLONDIN

Professor of oenology at Montpellier SupAgro, Director of l’Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Vigne et du Vin. Conducting research on yeasts genetics. Sciences pour l’Oenologie joint research unit.

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YVES LE FUR

Associate professor at AgroSup in Dijon, specialised in sensorial analysis. Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation.

The first week is an introduction then the five week course will cover:

Module 1 : Biology of the Vine

• The annual cycle and the history of vine cultivation
• Ecophysiology of the vine, relationships between soil-plant-climate
• Development and ripening of the berries
• Innovations with vine varieties

Module 2 : Viticulture

• The annual viticultural cycle and installing the vineyard
• Analysis of the ‘terroirs’ and of plant production
• Vineyard management, irrigation, fertilisation and illnesses
• Innovations in viticulture

Module 3 : Oenology

• Biochemistry and grape must chemistry
• Technical strategies, vinification and stabilisation technology
• Fermentation and microbial actions
• The chemistry of wines, aromas and quality testing

Module 4 : The Economy of the Wine and related sectors

• • Production to distribution statistics
  • Customer profiles and consumption patterns
  • The building and enhancement of the French wine sector

Each week also includes an update on the wine economy.

See you in class!