Surry Community College host symposium on "Finding the Perfect Blend"

Participants listen closely to an educational class at Surry Community College.
Photos c/o Surry Community College

By Dathan Kazsuk
Monday, October 9, 2017

Surry Community College will host its sixth annual Southeastern United Grape and Wine Symposium on Nov. 8 at the Shelton-Badgett North Carolina Center for Viticulture and Enology. The event, held at the Dobson campus, will feature a wide spectrum of speakers in the grape growing industry. This year’s focus will be on “Finding the Perfect Blend.”

Franciscan Estate’s winemaker Maria Carroll will lead the presentation which will focus on the art of blending. Carroll holds a degree in biotechnology from UC-Davis. It’s her passion for food and flavors that shapes her approach to wine crafting – paying close attention to the expressions, complexities and nuances of wine.

Other speakers include NC State’s Mark Hoffman, an assistant professor and small fruits extension specialist; Travis Snodgrass and Brad Boyd with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture; technical winemaker at Enartis USA, Eglantine Chauffour; University of Georgia’s Cain Hickey; and Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance’s Dr. Bill Alter.

Maria Carroll, left, and Cain Hickey, right, are just two of the speakers that will
be at the Southeastern United Grape and Wine Symposium.

The symposium will take place all day beginning at 7 a.m. Part of the symposium also consists of the college’s annual Grand Wine Tasting from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., which will highlight wines of the Southeast.

The tasting is open to the public for a non-conference rate of $25 per person. The entire conference registration cost, which includes admission to the tasting is $120 per person. Participants can register for the entire symposium or wine tasting by going to surry.edu/wine.