1. Foundation Home Page
  2. Get a Certificate or Degree
  3. Degree and Certificate Programs

Degree and Certificate Programs

The Northwest Wine Academy is the first and only program of its kind in the Puget Sound region. We teach winemaking, wine marketing and sales, and the art of pairing food with wine, all in a working winery where students do the real thing.

Wine Production (Enology)

Learn the craft of winemaking from vine to bottle. You'll study the chemistry behind every pour, see how viticulture shapes quality, and master the day-to-day practices of a modern winery. Then you'll put all of it to work.

In our state-of-the-art commercial teaching winery, students spend a full year in hands-on production. Grapes donated by renowned growers across Washington arrive at harvest, and you take them from there: picking, sorting, fermenting, and guiding each wine through to the finished bottle. It isn't a simulation. It's a real winery, and you're running it.

This program prepares you for careers such as:

  • Winemaker Assistant 
  • Winemaker Cellar Master 
  • Lab Assistant / Enologist 
  • Quality Control Assistant

Marketing & Sales of Food & Wine

Great wine still has to find its way to the glass. This program prepares you to sell and promote wine to wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, and the public, covering everything from packaging, pricing, and branding to global market demographics and government compliance.

You'll be hands-on in all aspects of wine production. Students run retail sales, merchandising, social media, online sales, and the wine club from our on-campus tasting room, then carry that experience into our lively wine release events and industry gatherings across Seattle and the state. You'll also master the language of wine itself: what makes a pairing sing, which foods flatter which varietals, and how to build a menu around your selections.

This program prepares you for roles such as:

  • Tasting Room Management 
  • Wine Distributor Sales 
  • Sommelier 
  • Wine Program Manager 
  • Events Coordinator / Manager 
  • Wine Educator 
  • Direct Sales Manager 
  • Marketing Coordinator 
  • Wine Merchandiser 
  • Compliance & Office Management 
  • Wine Tourism

Degree options

Both programs come at two levels, so you can match your commitment to your goals:

  • Certificate Programs, for focused, faster credentialing 
  • Degree Programs (AAS or AAS-T), for the full foundation

New to the Academy?

Email us at WineInfo@seattlecolleges.edu to set up a conversation with one of our instructors and find the program that fits your goals.