Head of the class: California's other winemaking school

Sunset, Sept, 2004 by Charity Ferreira

Close your eyes in the barrel room at Fresno State University, where the cool air smells of toasted wood, moist earth, and ripe fruit, and you might imagine yourself in a dark cave in France or Italy, surrounded by dusty casks of aging wine. Open them and you're in a starkly lit warehouse neatly lined with oak barrels.

"There's no fluff here, but it meets our needs," says enology professor and wine-master Ken Fugelsang. There's a practical, workhorse ethic about the school's enology and viticulture programs, where students learn winemaking on a commercial scale.

In 1997, Fresno State, in California's Central Valley, became the only university in the country licensed to produce, bottle, and sell wine. The campus boasts a 68,000-gallon commercial winery and a 160-acre vineyard. In the four years that students' wines have been on the market, they have won more than 100 medals at major wine competitions. Such honors have made the wine program the star of Fresno State's strong agriculture program. As Robert Wample, chair of the enology and viticulture department, puts it, "If the agriculture program is the football team, the enology department is the quarterback."

Brains vs. brawn

The school's big rival, of course, is UC Davis. The renown of the winemaking program at that University of California campus rests on its reputation as a research institution. In contrast, Wample is proud of the hands-on experience that Fresno students get by growing, processing, blending, and bottling wines. Last year, they developed a trellis system inside a temperature-controlled room, on which they hung Primitivo and Barbera grapes to produce Amarone, a traditional Italian wine made from dried grapes.

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The students also price, market, and distribute their wines to area stores like Vons, Albertsons, and Whole Foods Market. Fresno State currently has 16 wines for sale; our favorites include a smooth, spicy Petite Sirah; a slightly sweet but crisp Grenache rose; and some intriguing dessert wines ranging from Muscat to Port.

The hot, dry climate of the Central Valley is a challenge for growers and winemakers. According to Fugelsang, that's what makes it a good classroom. "I tell my students, if you can make award-winning wines here in Fresno, you can do it anywhere."

Though the Central Valley has work to do before it's unequivocally associated with fine wine, Fresno State's students and alumni are rising to the challenge. Bret Engelman, class of '99, opened his own winery, Engelmann Cellars, in Fresno within a year of graduation. The San Joaquin Valley might not have the romance of France or Italy, but Fresno State's wine program is ready for the big time.

INFO: Fresno State Winery (www.fresnostatewinery.com or 559/278-4867)

RELATED ARTICLE: Chardonnay trends

Late summer--time for a glass of chilled Chardonnay that strikes a balance between fruit and oak.

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Acacia Chardonnay 2002 (Carneros, CA), $20. Refreshing and rich at the same time, with gorgeous notes of lemon peel and custard. Bring on the lobster and drawn butter.

B.R. Cohn Chardonnay 2002 (Carneros), $24. A texture of lightly whipped cream; flavors of butterscotch, citrus, and apple pie add intrigue. A lovely match for seafood.

Clos Du Val Chardonnay 2002 (Carneros), $21. Not super oaky or toasty, with refined flavors reminiscent of caramel, warm apple tarts, and honey. Great with buttered corn on the cob.

Franciscan "Sauvage" Chardonnay 2001 (Napa Valley), $35. Pricey but hedonistic. That creme brulee and warm apple tart character has great balance here. Try with a good chef's salad.

Merryvale "Starmont" Chardonnay 2002 (St. Helena, CA), $20. Enticing aromas of baking spices and citrus, followed by plush caramel flavors.--KAREN MACNEIL-FIFE