KSU Ashtabula, VIneyard Form Teaching Partnership

ASHTABULA, Ohio — Kent State University at Ashtabula is partnering with Laurello Vineyards to expand the learning experiences for students in its wine degree programs with the production of a new “Kent State Ashtabula” labeled wine.

Under the new agreement, students will learn in the vineyards owned and operated by Laurello’s and in the cellar at Laurello’s Harpersfield Township winery. They will do so under the guidance and direction of Ed Trebets, an award-winning winemaker who serves as director of the wine degree programs at KSU Ashtabula.

“This is an exciting partnership for our students,” said Susan Stocker, dean and chief administrative office at KSU Ashtabula in a news release. “It helps us provide an atmosphere of a teaching winery where our students can learn and share. And it will be rewarding for students to see the finished product, a Kent State Ashtabula labeled wine, on store shelves, in people’s homes and on tables across the region.”

The first two wines – Sunburst, a Grand River riesling, and Sunset, a vinifera blend of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc – were released in December of 2017 and will be available for purchase through Laurello’s.

“Our program is what the wine industry needs due to the rapid growth in the past 10 years,” Trebets said. “Our industry will need skilled workers in the winery and the vineyard as it continues to grow and more entrepreneurs want to join the industry.”

KSU Ashtabula offers the only wine degree programs in the state of Ohio, providing students the opportunity to earn degrees in viticulture, grape growing, and enology, wine making. The hybrid study program combines online courses with in-person experience in laboratories, vineyards and wineries.

For more information about the Kent State Ashtabula brand of wines, or the viticulture and enology programs, visit Kent.edu/ashtabula/wine.

Pictured: Kent State Ashtabula Dean Susan Stocker and Kim Laurello, co-owner of Laurello Vineyards.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.