the late 1980s by Clive Berkman – an adjunct professor and managing director of Charley’s 517, once an iconic downtown Houston restaurant known for its wine list. When Kevin Simon (’92), a wine connoisseur in his own right, took over the class in 1996, he had 30 students in his first lab. Today, some 250 students annually take this elective to gain a better understanding of wine. Students are introduced to the basics of viticulture (growing of the grapes) and enology (study of wine), the popular wine regions of the world, and the laws that regulate the industry. They also discuss wine and food pairings and, of course, they get to taste. By the end of the semester, students will know 95 percent more about wine than the average consumer. Because of
what they’ve learned, they also appreciate that they have only scratched the surface. Wine is complex, not complicated. But for many, the abundance of choice can be intimidating and overwhelming. This class “demystifies” wine and makes it more approachable. Winemaking is an art. And like any other art form, the more it’s understood, the more it’s appreciated – hence, the name, “Wine Appreciation.” For thousands of students, this singular class has uncorked their passion for wine. And it’s not just HRM majors who are learning about wine’s complexity and nuance – it’s nonmajors across the University of Houston campus as well. In fact, depending on the semester, there can be more non-
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majors taking this elective than majors. Take Jason Centanni, for example. In 2005, he was a pre-med student majoring in bio chemistry when he decided to take Simon’s Wine Appreciation class. So enthralled by what he learned about wine and so excited with the industry that by the end of the class, he completely changed the trajectory of his life. Today, he is the head winemaker at Llano Estacado, the largest and oldest premium winery in Texas. This seminal class has been the springboard for hundreds of careers in the wine and spirits industry. Countless others have become educated and enthusiastic consumers because of what they’ve learned in this class – and that, too, is a great outcome for the wine industry.
CULTIVATING A BEVERAGE PROGRAM In addition to this mainstay wine class, Beverage Management was the only other beverage class that Hilton College offered in its early years. There was no direct link between academia and industry or research and real-world applications, which are so integral to our program today. In response, Dr. Glenn Cordúa y Cruz co-founded the Wine & Spirits Management Institute (W&SMI) in fall 2001 and served as the institute’s director. John and Lindy Rydman and their daughter, Lisa – the owners of Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods – were founding donors and partners in the development of W&SMI.