First of its kind: CNM launching wine making concentration to round out Beverage Production and Management program

The last piece of the puzzle is now in place in the Beverage Production and Management program at Central New Mexico Community College.

CNM is launching a concentration in wine making to round out its Beverage Production and Management program disciplines: beer production, distilled spirits production and beverage management.

Students can pursue an Associate of Applied Science degree in beverage production and management, or opt for a certificate in wine technology. Wine production classes begin on Jan. 8, 2024, for the spring semester. Students can register at cnm.edu or find information at cnm.edu/programs-of-study/programs-a-z/beverage-production-management.

“(The certificate) really focuses just on those wine production courses, production styles, equipment and maintenance, the winery operation, cellar operation,” said Victoria Sanchez Martinez, associate dean for culinary, hospitality and beverage at CNM.

The disciplines of the beverage and production management program for students interested in obtaining their associate degree “mirror” each other.

“I think the base for those programs is very much the same, which is why it is one degree in beverage production and management,” said Sanchez Martinez. “Students can choose their own adventure, their own path at CNM, where they can do wine, distilled spirits or beer production, and I think we’re seeing some overlap in those students where they’re very interested in beer, or they’re very interested in distilled spirits and now that the wine concentration has become available they’re looking at wine. But we really like to look at it as an entire industry and not so segmented. Although if you talk to the industry, they’re all very different.”

CNM is hosting an event from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, to provide more information about the program and answer questions potential students might have. The CNM Wine Studio event will take place at the Robert P. Matteucci Building at 723 University Blvd. SE. There will be three 20-minute sessions: BEV Lab and equipment tour with instructor Antonio Fernandez; guided wine tasting with Carrie Gurule, part-time instructor and winemaker at Gruet Winery; and Winemaking 101 with Sean Sheehan, owner and winemaker at Sheehan Winery.

Event admission is free and attendees can reserve their spot by emailing info@nmwine.com.

“A lot of our wineries are promoting from within,” Gurule said. “There is quite a career path that can take place once you’ve entered the wine industry and you’ve got the knowledge in place. We’re competitive with salaries and we see the experience, we see the knowledge, and you might start out in the cellar and end up in the lab, or you end up as the winemaker. There’s just so many paths that this can take you.”

Wine program students will take part in hands-on learning and work with top-of-the-line equipment.

“Victoria did her due diligence in researching the need for winemaking processes from grape to bottle,” said Gurule. “We have all that equipment here. There’s a press, there’s a crush machine, there’s a bottling line. We even have equipment for sparkling wine. We can train folks on equipment here on glycol machines. It was a nonstop shop when this program was put together, so folks will be able to walk out of here and make wine.”

This is the first for credit wine program in New Mexico.

“New Mexico State (University) has some classes through their cooperative extension but nothing on their academic side,” said Sanchez Martinez. “We’re very excited about launching that.”

New Mexico Wine was instrumental in helping build the wine program at CNM.

First of its kind: CNM launching wine making concentration to round out Beverage Production and Management program

“It was the wine industry that came and said, ‘Hey, what about us? Can we develop a curriculum?’ ” said Sanchez Martinez. “New Mexico is the oldest wine growing region in the United States. We’re getting ready to celebrate 400 years of winemaking in 2029.