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Say Hello To A Beginner

By Lea Abrams

Enrolling in the Wine Technology program at YVC was the furthest from my mind. I mean my knowledge of wines was pretty much you drink them, period. I guess it pretty much came down to seeing that winery jobs, both production and sales jobs, are in high demand in the area and doing what is necessary to establish roots for my family and I.

Like almost everyone else, I saw wine as a fancy drink that fancy people drank and I mean, who doesn’t like to feel fancy now and then, am I right? So, knowing absolutely nothing about wine I bought myself a bottle of a red blend with a pretty label on the bottle, had a taste when I got home and hated it. Like seriously, what was it about wine that everyone was making such a big deal over? At that point I figured I should do some research and maybe find one that was better tasting. Lo and behold, I found there was such a thing as sweet wines and became a fan of Barefoot’s Red Moscato.

It had taken my husband and I eight years and three children to decide once and for all that we want to establish roots here in the Yakima Valley. Problem was is nowadays it seems like you either have a career or a minimum wage paying job. I mean there are those few that will raise the pay according to experience but it usually takes years to get up to a decent a pay to afford a house payment, sometimes a vehicle payment, and enough to raise a family on. I grew tired of hopping from job to job over the course of eight years and decided to take action on a career that is in high demand in the area. I felt I had too much going on to put the time aside for online school so I decided to enroll at a local campus. I began my research into YVC and when I came across the I-BEST (Integrated Basic Education Skills) opportunities category, only one program stood out among the others and that was the Wine Technology program. I felt I didn’t have the mind set or the patience for the others. So, I figured why not?

Sure enough, I got in touch with instructor Trent Ball, told him a bit about myself and my situation.  I shared that my wine knowledge and experience is close to none and he was very helpful. He explained that most students who enroll into the program have no idea what they are wanting to get out of it. The other students were like me and see that wine is a high demand job in the area and would like to find a place where they feel they can make a difference whether it be in the sales aspect or in the production of wine. So luckily enough, Trent mentioned there was an opening in the campus tasting room for tasting room attendant. I figured that would be a good opportunity to kill a few birds with one stone and it has. Not only am I earning some extra cash while going to school, I am getting a great learning experience with the sales end, learning about the wines that have been made there, and how engaged you need to be while having wine. It is one of those instances where you’re discovering something new about your senses for the first time and it’s great.