Location

Napa, Sonoma, St. Helena, Yountville, California, USA

Program Description

Napa, California is the premier wine-growing region in the United States. Learning about the influence of food, wine on the regional culture that can only be fully accomplished by visiting: visiting local restaurants and speaking with chefs, visiting wineries and speaking with owners, visiting growers and speaking with the farmers, visiting neighborhoods and speaking with residents.

Students will travel through the Napa Valley region, experiencing top-notch restaurants, world-class wineries, and exceptional hospitality while learning about enology, viniculture, and viticulture. Meetings with industry professionals will explore the marketing and management of this niche industry. Through journals. team and solo projects, and daily menu pairing activities, students have the opportunity to process their learning into meaningful artifacts.

This course explores the premier wine-growing regions of Napa and Sonoma, focusing on the region's wine, food, and culture.

Location Description

Students will stay together, eat together, and learn together in California's Napa Valley, with excursions around Napa, Sonoma, St. Helena, and Yountville.

Director

Donna Fickes | fickesdj@jmu.edu | Hart School of Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Management

Accommodations

Students will stay in a local hotel with shared double rooms.

All meals will be provided through the program.

Additional Items to Consider

All students must be 21 by May 23, 2026 to participate in this class.

Securing your flight for the program is the student's responsibility. Students are expected to research, book, and manage individual flight itineraries independently once they have received notification from the program director.

Pre-trip meetings include: a 90-minute informational meeting conducted in Godwin 353 between January 20 and January 30, 2026/, a 60-minute informational meeting conducted in Godwin 353 between March 23 and March 27, 2026/, and a 120-minute introductory class conducted in Godwin 353 between May 7 and May 13, 2026.

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must have a GPA minimum of 2.0

Open to students in all majors and class levels

Open to non-JMU students