Online Certificate in Wine Business Management

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Program Overview

An advanced understanding of wine business is essential to success in an evolving industry and an ever-changing marketplace. This important industry certification was inspired by the Sonoma MBA in Wine Business to facilitate professional growth through advanced knowledge of wine business marketing, operations, and finance.

Created by professionals for professionals.

The Certificate in Wine Business Management is developed and taught by wine business veterans and industry experts. Whether you're a current wine industry professional, a winemaker or viticulturist, or someone seeking entry to the wine industry, this program provides the knowledge and business acumen necessary to grow your career.

This comprehensive professional business certificate address key industry areas, including:

Wine commerce and trade
Wine marketing and sales
eCommerce
Business issues associated with viticulture and winemaking
Traditional business functions of strategy in building a wine business
Finance, accounting, and management applied to the wine industry
Regulatory issues concerning wine
Optional certification with the successful completion of all three levels.

Certificate Structure, Fees & Schedule

Students in the online Certificate in Wine Business Management complete a total of 4 courses: Foundation (4 weeks), Intermediate (8 weeks), and two of three offered Advanced courses (8 weeks each). Professionals interested in pursuing the accredited Sonoma MBA in Wine Business or the Sonoma Executive MBA in Wine Business can waive the two-year industry experience admission requirement with successful completion of the Foundation and Intermediate course levels.

Certificate course cycles offered three times a year in winter, spring, and fall, in a convenient online format accessible around the world.

Foundation Level

Course	Fees*	Schedule
Introduction to Wine Business	$795	Fall 9/6 - 10/4, 2018 Winter 1/24 - 2/21, 2019 Spring 4/18 - 5/16, 2019

Intermediate Level

Course	Fees*	Schedule
A Survey of the Key Drivers in a Wine Business	$1100	Fall 10/18 - 12/13, 2018 Spring 2/28 - 4/25, 2019 Summer 5/30 - 7/25, 2019

Advanced Level: Choose and complete two courses.

Course	Fees*	Schedule
Direct to Consumer Marketing & eCommerce for Wine Businesses	$1100	1/15 - 3/12, 2019
Wine Production & Operations from a Business Perspective	$1100	5/9 - 7/4, 2019
Strategic Wine Marketing	$1100	August 2019 (TBA)
Wine Industry Financial Planning & Strategy	$1100	TBA

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*Fees listed are for the current academic year and are subject to change without notice.

Course Learning Objectives

Introduction to Wine Business (Foundation)

This four-week course provides an overview of wine business. Students will develop an appreciation of the realities of the wine business as a business and come to understand the steps required for getting from the vineyard and into the glass of the consumer.

LO1: Understand the components of a wine business and the viewpoints of the various stakeholders in the following areas:

Grape growing, including costs, values, quality considerations, supply and demand, risks and opportunities
Production, winemaking, maturation and packaging
Marketing
Distribution, a complex and highly regulated process
Domestic sales, selling wine in retail stores (off-premise), restaurants and bars (on premise), online and direct to consumer (through tasting rooms, events, and wine clubs)

LO2: Understand how going to market with wine compares and contrasts with other consumer packaged goods.

LO3: Understand the key decision points, interrelatedness, and costs that go into growing, producing, marketing, distributing and selling a wine product.

LO4: Outline how quality and value is determined at each step in the process of grape growing, production, marketing, distribution, domestic and export sales and final point of sale.

LO5: Understand the financial resources and time periods necessary to establish a wine product.

A Survey of the Key Drivers in a Wine Business (Intermediate)

Building on the concepts developed in the Introduction to Wine Business, this eight-week course expands project-based learning focused on the business of making and selling wine. The class surveys key drivers of a wine business and the necessary decisions required when a wine business goes to market, to provide a deeper understanding of the entire value chain.

The subjects of marketing, distributing and selling are expanded to include managing a primary brand as well as a portfolio of products, including options for negociant brands.

LO1: Understand business issues associated with viticulture, production, marketing, distribution and points of sale.

LO2: Evaluate alternative approaches associated with those issues.

LO3: Calculate costs across the component areas.

LO4: Evaluate the contribution of the component areas to the value of a wine product.

LO5: Expand the understanding of distribution and regulatory issues to include the international wine market.

LO6: Assess the internal environment, identifying the strengths and weaknesses in a wine business.

LO7: Assess the external environment, identifying the opportunities and threats to a wine business.

LO8: Evaluate a SWOT analysis and draft a plan for going to market with a new wine business product.

LO9: Plan for and consider future wine markets and alternative channels of wine commerce.

Direct to Consumer Marketing & eCommerce for the Wine Industry (Advanced)

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Foundation and Intermediate Courses

This course provides an in-depth study of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing and eCommerce, including digital marketing, from a wine industry perspective. Participants will explore opportunities and challenges associated with eCommerce and DTC wine sales, and the methodology required to promote customer discovery, engagement, acquisition and loyalty. This course begins with a history and overview of compliance and the development of the DTC channel, the transformation of software platforms and digital technology over the past 15 years, and key components of web design and development. It then focuses on best practices in web, mobile, email, social media and all digital marketing channels to drive wine sales, tasting room visitation, event ticket sales, and wine club member acquisition and retention.

LO1: Explain how digital marketing and eCommerce play an integral role as part of a winery's overall omni-channel retailing strategy.

LO2: Make recommendations for the design and development of an eCommerce winery website and mobile platforms that utilize best practices from outside the wine industry.

LO3: Recommend strategies for building customer engagement, retention, and loyalty for existing customers and prospects through eCommerce and digital marketing.

LO4: Develop a DTC digital marketing strategy and budget to integrate into a winery's overall marketing plan.

LO5: Effectively communicate with customers through traditional and new digital channels including web, email, mobile and social media marketing.

LO6: Evaluate and optimize the consumer's mobile experience in all aspects of eCommerce and the DTC channel.

Wine Production and Operations from a Business Perspective (Advanced)

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Foundation and Intermediate Courses

This level provides an in-depth review of the business issues associated with wine production and operations. This level emphasizes the basic concepts of operations, purchasing, logistics, and supply chain management as they apply to the wine industry. More specific topics include value analysis, total quality management, make/buy decisions, negotiation, and supplier development.

LO1: Explain the key business issues in the production and operation of a winery.

LO2: Identify supply chain management considerations for effective operations.

LO3: Describe the planning process from wine forecasting and product development through distribution.

LO4: Calculate total cost analysis and its role in supply procurement.

LO5: Assess the appropriateness of the capital equipment necessary to operate a winery.

LO6: Identify how quality is achieved in the production of wine.

Strategic Wine Marketing (Advanced)

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Foundation and Intermediate Courses

This level provides an introduction to wine marketing terminology and concepts, including the steps in brand creation, packaging decisions, integrated communication strategy, navigating the three-tier distribution channels, and direct to consumer sales. Topics of tasting room management, wine tourism, importing, and exporting wine are also presented. The culminating project is the creation of a marketing and sales plan for the launch of a new wine business.

LO1: Describe important wine consumer segments .

LO2: Create a wine brand to appeal to a chosen target market.

LO3: Understand the marketing implications of package design.

LO4: Coordinate promotional elements of advertising, public relations, and special events.

LO5: Understand the complexities of wine distribution at the distributor and retail levels.

LO6: Create a distribution and sales strategy utilizing distributors and/or direct to consumer methods.

LO7: Describe key aspects of tasting room management.

LO8: Integrate wine marketing into a broader wine tourism context.

LO9: Describe the steps to importing and exporting wine.

LO10: Create a draft marketing and sales plan.

Questions? Please take a look at the FAQs or contact us at (707) 664-3235 or winebiz@sonoma.edu.

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Registration is done in partnership with the School of Extended and International Education.