VEN 170, Wine Regulations, was taught for the first time in the spring of 2019. The course covered regulation of the wine industry, including regulation at the local, state, and federal levels. This material was covered with the help of outside speakers in a seminar style. Topics included the Taxation and Trade Bureau, Alcoholic Beverage Control, OSHA, FDA/FSMA, and importation and distribution. In addition, Chik Brenneman, former UC Davis Winemaker, went through all of the steps and agencies he had to deal with in order to start his own winery business.

The goal of this class was to educate students about the regulatory environment in which the wine industry operates. This includes understanding the current state of regulation governing the industry and understanding the necessary resources to facilitate dealing with regulatory agencies in the future.

Grading was pass/fail. Attendance was required at each seminar and was a part of the student’s grade. For each seminar, students were to write a short summary (less than 200 words in paragraph form) covering the most important points of the presentation.