Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management will be offering a new course called “Wines of the World,” which explores food and wine pairings and viniculture, during the summer for the first time to students who are non-majors.

According to David Corsun, director and associate professor of Knoebel, students must be at least 21 to partake in the course because they will be wine-tasting almost every class and will have to attend a food-and-wine-pairing dinner. The lab fee for the course is $135.

Corsun said he worked to get the approval for the course to provide students with the opportunity to explore wine culture.

“This course is designed to enable students who aren’t majors in the Knoebel School to accumulate knowledge about viticulture and viniculture, food and wine pairings and to develop their palates so they may know what they like,” said Corsun.

The four-week course will be offered as a condensed class and Corsun said he expects it to continue during the fall quarter.  The specific dates of the course are not yet determined.

The class will be capped at 40 students and will be taught by two of Knoebel’s staff:  director of operations Eric Lane and conference services manager Caitlin Martines.

According to Corsun, Wines of the World can be placed towards the elective credits based on the University of Denver’s common curriculum requirements for students who are non-hospitality majors.

Corsun said he thinks wine knowledge is an important life skill that is particularly useful in the general business world as a whole.

“As one advances in one’s career, interviews increasingly include meals and one may be called on to order wine for the table as part of the interview, regardless of the industry,” said Corsun.  “All of these goals should serve students well in social and business settings.”