MSc in Viticulture and Enology (Winemaking)

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Years of wine & knowledge

In recent years, Israel has experienced a striking growth in its wine industry and a surging local and international market for its outstanding wines. In response to the rising need for skills and professionalism in the industry, the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment has opened Israel’s first academic degree program in winemaking. This International MSc program in Viticulture and Enology is comparable to other programs in leading wine-producing countries, such as France, the USA, and Australia, yet it stresses ancient and modern production techniques under marginal conditions.

Students will gain knowledge and skills at an academic level consistent with leading programs in other wine-producing countries such as France, the United States, and Australia, with special emphasis on the Israeli industry. Upon completion, the students will earn a world-recognized MSc degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This is the first MSc level degree in viticulture and enology to be approved by the National Council for Higher Education (CHE) in Israel.

Program Structure

The M.Sc. in Viticulture and Enology is a two-year academic program (672 academic hours) leading to a Hebrew University accredited degree. Classes are held on two days per week, over four consecutive semesters. Practical work in vineyards may be carried during school. The program comprises of scientific theory, practice in grape-growing, wine-making, and wine-tasting, and an internship in leading wine producers in Israel and overseas.

The Teaching Staff

The academic head of the program is Professor Zohar Kerem, a world-renowned researcher in food chemistry, wine quality, and olive oil. The program's professional coordinator is Mr. Yotam Sharon, a post-graduate with honors in Oenology from the University of Montpellier and an MSc degree holder in biochemistry from the Hebrew University, a leading winemaker at one of Israel's premier wineries. Other distinguished members of the teaching staff are Prof. Ben-Ami Bravdo, Prof. Oded Shoseyov, and Dr. Ron Shapira. Esteemed guest lecturers from abroad will be instructing additional topics

Curriculum

• The Vineyard: Planning & design; grapevine stocks & types; plot preparation; propagation; planting; trellising; pruning; irrigation; fertilization; mechanization; grape pests & diseases.
• Wine Production: Equipment & winery management; micro-vinification; chemistry & stability; microbiology; distillation technology; fermentation science.
• Analysis of grape juice and wine: Biosynthesis of taste & odor factors; sensory detection of wine types & defects in wine; sensory evaluation of wines from Israel and the world.
• Additional Courses: Economics, management & marketing in the wine industry; wine workshop in prime grapevine & wine production region abroad.

Viticulture & Enology Curriculum

Preparatory program (Mechina)*

*Applicants lacking an adequate background in the fields of Life sciences, Agricultural Sciences or similar fields are required to complete preparatory studies.

• Chemical Principles
• Cell Biology
• Plant Biology
• Intro. to economics and marketing
• Organic Chemistry
• Soil & water

Semester A

• Soil, water, meteorology, and vine nutrition
• Morphology and physiology of the grapevine
• Principles of viticulture (part 1)
• Practical aspects of grape growing (part 1)
• Wine production (part 1)
• Wine chemistry, wine stability, and quality management
• Sensory evaluation of wines (part 1)

Semester B (Summer semester)

• Principles of viticulture (part 2)
• Practical aspects of grape growing (part 2)
• Micro-vinifications (part 1)
• Wine microbiology
• Analysis of musts and wines (part 1)
• Analysis of musts and wines - LAB (part 1)

Semester C

• Grapevine pests, diseases, and disorders
• Winery technology, systems, and packing
• Environmental aspects of grape growing and winemaking
• Wine chemistry, wine stability – LAB
• Micro-vinification (part 2)
• Wine Production (part 2)
• Analysis of musts and wines (part 2)
• Analysis of musts and wines - LAB (part 2)

Semester D

• Sensory evaluation of wines (part 2)
• Workshop in management and risk assessment in small and large wineries
• Workshop in internet entrepreneurship in the wine world
• Economic aspects of the wine industry
• Wine workshop abroad