Lake Michigan College students will now have the opportunity to study at the Great Lakes Wine Institute thanks to a $1 million state grant. 

The institute will be established at the college to prepare students for careers in the expanding Michigan wine industry. 

According to the college, the program is designed to take two years to complete, earning students an Associate’s degree. 

Michigan Representative Al Pscholka said the grant came from the Michigan Talent and Economic Development Agency. 

“With vineyards and wineries on the upswing as part of the agri-tourism industry, there’s a need for qualified vintners and sommeliers throughout the state. The Great Lakes Wine Institute will be instrumental in training these future professionals,” said Pscholka. 

The classes won’t just focus on wine from Michigan. Students will have a taste from around the world, according to the program’s director, Michael Moyer.

“The first class we teach in the fall is a really fun class. We taste wines from all over the world and we also taste those wines with analytical numbers alongside, so students have an idea of what they are actually presented after they taste the wines. But they have a really good idea of what the different chemical parameters that are measured in a wine and the effects they have on the flavor of the wine,” said Moyer. 

According to Moyer, the state of Michigan has over 13,000 acres of vineyards and 121 commercial wineries, making Michigan the fourth largest grape-growing state.