WSU wine giving new meaning to Cougar Gold

Washington state’s winemakers have some new competition from an unlikely place, Washington State University.

The students in the Viticulture and Enology department have released the second in a series of student-made wines this week to rave reviews under their label “Blended Learning.”

The blended red is a combination of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

“We call it that because we are blending classroom learning with real world wine making,” says program director Thomas Henick-Kling. “We also love to learn about blending wines, whether it’s different varieties or you take one variety from different vineyards and you treat it differently. That’s really important in wine making.”

They might be students, but the result is a blended red that is anything but elementary.

“I am very pleased with it. It’s a big wine, but it’s soft and has a lot of depth with a wonderful aroma and texture,” Henick-Kling raves.

The director credits the state’s booming wine industry with supporting the program, providing everything from grapes to bottles to help the students craft their creations.

“We have great collaborations with commercial vineyards and wineries because we want students to be out there and interact with professional winemakers, suppliers.”

The result is a wine of surprising complexity that gives many commercial wineries a run for the money.

The reception has been overwhelming. A bottle of the red was rated excellent at Winefest Northwest. The students initial release, a Riesling, sold out of its 100 case allotment almost immediately.

The students have produced about 200 cases of the blended red, with 100 cases being given as gifts to those who have supported the program. The other 100 are now on sale at the WSU Connections store in Seattle and the WSU Visitor’s Center in Pullman for $35 a bottle, but are expected to sell out fast.

“We are going to need a lot more for our alums. I don’t think the 200 cases will do it,” Henick-Kling says.

The burgeoning winemakers have other bottlings planned for later this year including a Syrah blend, a Chenin blanc and a late-harvest Riesling. And the director says even though they’re student made, it’s serious stuff.

“You know I’m not shy about presenting it. I’m proud to offer it. If you put a wine out, it has to be excellent because it represents the program. If a wine a student makes doesn’t meet that standard, we don’t put it out.”

Construction is now underway on a new WSU Wine Science Center in Richland, which will feature classrooms, laboratories and a working winery. WSU provides the only four-year bachelor’s degree program in viticulture and enology in the Pacific Northwest.

WSU’s wine business management degree is the only wine business undergraduate degree offered in the U.S., according to Henick-Kling.

If the director and his students have their way, the famous Cougar Gold might just one day include Chardonnay as well as cheese.