Future winemakers invited to career fair

By Jaclyne Badal

The Collegian

Fresno State’s future winemakers have the chance to network and hunt for jobs today at the Department of Viticulture and Enology’s career fair.

The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the department’s conference room, will have more employers than last year, according to the enology Web site.

E & J Gallo Winery, Meridian Vineyards and Fresno Madera Farm Credit will be among the employers searching for their next generation of talent here, where the university’s winery has already given many students industry experience.

Fresno State has become a national leader in viticulture, the study of grape growing, and enology, the study of winemaking.

The university was the first in the country to get a license to produce and sell wine commercially. Fresno State’s student-produced wines have won more than 120 medals at events like New World International and the West Coast Wine Competition, the University Journal said.

Viticulture and enology majors are not the only ones invited to the event. Employers have already said they look at hiring students from the food sciences, agricultural and business programs as well.

Miami-based Southern Wine and Spirits, the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of wine and spirits, said it will consider all majors for its chain territory manager position. Students who are not yet ready to graduate, or don’t know what they want to do after college, are also encouraged to attend.

Diana Davison of the Vie-Del Company, a Fowler winery, said she is attending the fair partly to answer students’ questions, although she is also hiring for lab technicians and an enologist.

“We have those positions open but I realize that most of the people, they’re not really sure what career they’re headed towards,” Davison said. “We’ll just give them some information as far as what is available.”

Davison, who also attended last year’s fair, said ideal candidates would have prior work experience but added that she would review resumes from all students.

“You never know where they might go when they graduate,” she said.

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