[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 29, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE WINE SPECTATOR LEARNING CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 29, 2018

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with the 
Honorable Jared Huffman to recognize the opening of the Wine Spectator 
Learning Center for the Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State 
University.
  The Wine Spectator Learning Center has transformed the previous 
University Commons building into a state of the art facility complete 
with three advanced-technology classrooms, student commons, a cafe and 
garden areas and meeting spaces for students, faculty and business 
leaders.
  The Wine Spectator Learning Center is a world class facility in which 
the next generation of California wine leaders can learn and grow 
through the Wine Business Institute. The Institute was established in 
1996 as a public-private partnership for education and research within 
the School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University. Sonoma 
State University is the first college or university in the United 
States to offer programs and degrees specializing in the business of 
wine, which is immensely important to our local economy. Additionally, 
the School of Business and Economics is the first in the world to offer 
an executive-level wine business degree.
  The Wine Business Institute, besides educating students, hosts 
conferences and symposia to the benefit of individual wine industry 
professionals, including winemakers, viticulturists, distributors and 
vineyard owners. The Wine Business Institute also provides programs and 
activities that help the wine industry evolve to meet the challenges of 
an increasingly fast-paced world. The Institute is particularly well-
situated to address changing public policies and regulations and assist 
the industry in adapting to them.
  Mr. Speaker, the Wine Business Institute has had a great effect on 
the wine industry both in California and worldwide, and I am confident 
that the addition of the Wine Spectator Learning Center will only 
continue to benefit our great district. It is therefore fitting and 
proper that we honor the continued success of the Wine Business 
Institute and the Wine Spectator Learning Center here today.

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