Course Syllabus
Wine Chemistry
VIT_ENOL 538
Semester and Year | Fall 2025
Number of Credit Hours | 3
Co-requisites | BIO 420
Pre-requisites | MBIOS 101 or 305; MBIOS 303 or CHEM 370
Course Details
Day and Time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 8:10-9:00 am & 12:10-1:00 pm
Meeting Location: TWSC202
Instructor Contact Information
Instructor Name: Dr. Thomas Collins, Department of Viticulture and Enology
Instructor Contact Information: WSC 239A, 509-372-7515, tom.collins@wsu.edu
Instructor Office Hours: TBD
Course Description
Study of the chemistry and biochemistry of grapes and wines; biochemistry and physiology of grape compounds, aspects of processing including winemaking.
Course Materials
Books: Recommended.
- Understanding Wine Chemistry, Waterhouse, Sacks, Jeffery; 1st Edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York 2016. ISBN: 978-1118627808. Available on Amazon for $83.
- Wine Analysis and Production, Zoecklein, Fugelsang, Gump, Nury Aspen publishing 1999. ISBN: 978-083421701. Available on Amazon for $40.
- Methods for Analysis of Musts and Wines. C.S. Ough and M.A. Amerine, 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1988. ISBN: 978-0471050773. Available on Amazon for $380.
- Principles and Practices of Winemaking; Boulton, Singleton, Bisson, Kunkee. Aspen publishing 1998. ISBN: 978-1441951908. Available on Amazon for $84.
- Techniques for Chemical Analysis & Quality Monitoring, Iland et al., 2004. ISBN: 978-0646384351. Available on Amazon for $175.
- Quantitative Chemical Analysis, D.C. Harris, 8th edition, W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2010 (other editions would work as well). ISBN: 978-1319164300. Available on Amazon for $52.
- Norse Mythology, N. Gaiman, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2017. ISBN: 978-0393609097. Available on Amazon for $16.
Fees: TBD
|
Course Learning Outcomes (students will be able to:) |
Activities Supporting the Learning Outcomes | Assessment of the Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Differentiate the chemistry and biochemistry of the primary analytes important to grape and wine aroma and flavor | Lectures, readings, class discussions | problem sets, exams |
| Evaluate and interpret the calculations used to make chemical additions to juices and wines during the winemaking process | lectures, problem solving sessions | problem sets, exams |
| Evaluate peer-reviewed scientific literature related to grape and wine chemistry |
journal article discussions, preparation of literature review |
Literature review assignment |
| Dates | Lesson Topic | Assignment | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Week 1 |
Course overview, carbohydrates, critical thinking and problem solving | Problem set #1 available | |
| Week 2 [October 21] |
Acidity, nitrogen, paper discussion, critical thinking | Problem set #1 due | Problem set #1 |
| Week 3 [October 28] |
Sulfur dioxide, metals, problem solving and paper discussion | Problem set #2 available | Midterm #1 |
| Week 4 [November 4] |
Alcohols, phenolics, critical thinking, problem solving | Problem set #2 due, Problem set #3 available | Problem set #2 |
| Week 5 [November 11] |
Veterans' Day, phenolics | Problem set #3 due | Problem set #3 |
| Week 6 [November 18] |
Wine Stabilization, Varietal markers, haloanisoles, problem solving | Problem set #4 available | Midterm #2 |
| Week 7 [November 25] |
Thanksgiving holiday | ||
| Week 8 [December 2] |
Smoke taint, oak aroma and flavor, Critical thinking | Problem set #4 due | Problem set #4, Literature review assignment |
Expectations for Student Effort
For each hour of lecture or equivalent, students should expect to have a minimum of two hours of work outside of class, including problem sets, readings, and preparing the literature review.
Grading [add more lines if necessary]
| Type of Assignment (tests, papers, etc) | Points | Percent of Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Problem sets (4) | 50 each | 20 |
| Midterm exams | 100 each | 40 |
| Final exam | 100 | 20 |
| Literature review | 100 | 20 |
| Grade | Percent | Grade | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| A |
>93.0 |
C | 73.0-76.9 |
| A- | 90.0-92.9 | C- | 70.0-72.9 |
| B+ | 87.0-89.9 | D+ | 67.0-69.0 |
| B | 83.0-86.9 | D | 60.0-66.9 |
| B- | 80.0-82.9 | F | <60 |
| C+ | 77.0-79.9 |
Attendance and Make-Up Policy
This course meets six times each week and students are expected to attend all scheduled lectures. If absent for a lecture, the student is solely responsible for course content that was missed.
Academic Integrity Statement
You are responsible for reading WSU's Academic Integrity Policy, which is based on Washington State law. If you cheat in your work in this class you will:
-Be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and may fail the assignment and/or the course and will not have the option to withdraw from the course pending an appeal.
-Be reported to the Center for Community Standards
-Have the right to appeal my decision
-Not be able to drop the course of withdraw from the course until the appeals process is finished
If you have any questions about what you can and cannot do in this course, ask me.
If you want to ask for a change in my decision about academic integrity, use the form at the Center for Community Standards website. You must submit this request within 21 calendar days of the decision.