A FRESH ERA FOR WINE EDUCATION IN NAPA
While Napa Valley’s wineries have long served as classrooms, the cost of formal study has often been out of reach. Napa Valley College is changing that with the opening of the Wine Spectator Wine Education Center, completed on time and on budget without public funding. The project was made possible through a $10 million gift from the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation and a legacy contribution from alum Evelyn Allen.
The 7,000 square foot center features two flexible sensory classrooms, an upgraded laboratory, and dedicated faculty space, more than doubling the training capacity of the college’s Viticulture and Winery Technology program. The program already places more than 80 percent of graduates into industry jobs and helps many see wage increases of around $14 per hour. With Napa’s wine and hospitality industries projected to add more than 2,200 jobs by 2028, the center arrives at a critical time for the region.
And this is only the beginning.
Napa Valley College is already advancing plans for Phase Two, the Wine and Hospitality Training Center, which will include a demonstration kitchen, tasting bar, and event space designed to bring classroom learning even closer to real-world hospitality.
Scheduled to open in 2026, the facility will build on the momentum of Phase One and anchor a transformative new era of wine and hospitality education in Napa Valley.
