Surry Community College’s Viticulture and Enology program is poised for growth with the addition of a new winemaker and enology instructor who will spearhead initiatives to increase student learning opportunities, raise the program’s profile nationwide, and support the region’s wine industry.
The college has hired David Neil Bower to teach the program’s face-to-face and online enology courses. In his new role, Bower will also supervise the creation and distribution of student-produced wine at SCC’s Shelton-Badgett NC Center of Viticulture and Enology. He’ll serve as a key ambassador for the program as Surry partners with other colleges and universities to expand opportunities for students.
A winemaker, researcher, and consultant in the growing winemaking region of upstate New York, Bower aims to put the Yadkin Valley on the map as the preeminent destination in the south for quality wine. SCC can support the local wine industry by hosting seminars and conferences featuring industry experts, expanding enrollment in its degree program, and providing continuing education opportunities for local winery employees.
“Community outreach will be a focus so we can establish SCC as the center for winemaking in the south,” Bower said. “We want to make this region the spot on the map where you want to be for growing grapes and making wine.”
Bower is a 2011 graduate from Cornell University with a B.S. in Plant Science and a B.S. in Viticulture and Enology. A recipient of the Nelson J Shaulis Award for the Advancement of Viticulture, Bower developed and completed a number of research initiatives at Cornell, including wine chemistry research, vine stress physiology research on Riesling, and methoxypyrazine research on Cabernet Franc. He also helped plant Cornell’s first organic vineyard and taught several classes as a teaching assistant.
Bower has balanced his research and teaching assignments while working as a winemaker and wine consultant for Lake Ontario Winery and Vineyards in western New York. Bower played a role in planting the first vines and bottling the first vintages at the family-owned winery. Those experiences sparked a lifelong love of plant science, matched only by his passion for education.
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. It’s all about the students for me,” Bower said. “I want my classes to be really interactive and hands-on. I’m always available to help my students.”
Under Bower’s direction, SCC’s Viticulture and Enology program will expand its course offerings to include classes related to the business side of winery management. Next month, the program will begin offering online “boot camps” of one-day, intensive instruction in a particular topic.
Last fall the college received a $213,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to deliver groundbreaking distance education opportunities as part of the Viticulture Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA). The project partners SCC with 16 other colleges and universities across the country in developing online workshops and seminars that provide continuing education for those working in the industry.
The VESTA grant will give SCC national exposure as a leader in viticulture and enology education. Bower plans to capitalize on the partnership by bringing in acclaimed speakers and industry conferences that will boost the winemaking profile of the entire region.
“I’ve worked with lots of influential people in the industry and I want to have them bring their knowledge here to Surry,” Bower said. “We have an amazing program and a wonderful facility here. We want to take advantage of that and let people all over know about wine in North Carolina.
About SCC’s viticulture and enology program
Surry Community College began offering courses in Viticulture in 1999 and added Enology courses in 2001. The college now offers a degree, diploma and a certificate in Viticulture and Enology Technology. Classroom instruction is supported by a teaching vineyard and state-of-the-art winery where students gain hands-on experience. The Shelton-Badgett NC Center for Viticulture and Enology opened on campus in the fall of 2010, offering enhanced learning opportunities for students. SCC serves as a source of information and support for the emerging North Carolina grape and wine industry.
Contact
Marion Venable
Executive Director, SCC Foundation/Coordinator of Grant
Public Information Officer
(336) 386-3269
venablem@surry.edu
