Four-month online program gives wine professionals and career changers the business knowledge to take their next step in the wine industry
September 21, 2026 (McMinnville, OR) — Linfield University’s Center for Wine Education is accepting applications for the winter 2027 cohort of its Graduate Certificate in Wine Business Leadership, a four-month, fully online program designed for professionals seeking to strengthen their business skills and advance or pivot their careers in the wine industry.
The 12-credit certificate concentrates on four areas essential to the business of wine: Strategic Wine Production, Wine Business & Finance, Wine Marketing and Wine Sales. The same four wine-focused courses are part of Linfield’s Master of Science in Business in Wine Business Leadership curriculum.
For winter 2027, the certificate will be offered online in a synchronous format from January through April, allowing working professionals to participate from anywhere while building a network of industry peers and completing the program during what is traditionally a slower period for the wine industry.
“Wine professionals today need to understand much more than what is in the bottle,” said Toni Ketrenos, director of Wine Studies at Linfield University. “From finance and production strategy to marketing, hospitality and sales, this program gives students a broader understanding of how successful wine businesses operate.”
Learning the business from vineyard to glass
Students in Linfield’s M.S. in Wine Business Leadership take the same four wine-focused courses included in the graduate certificate.
Graduate Leanne Babcock described one of the strengths of the program as developing an understanding of the entire wine business, “from the time that something’s grown out in the vineyard to when it ends up in your glass, and everything in between.”
That breadth is intentional. Students examine how production decisions connect with finance, sales, marketing, and the overall strategy of a wine business.
Stacey Prescott, also a graduate of the M.S. in Wine Business Leadership program, highlighted the opportunity to learn directly from people working in the industry. She described the value of regularly learning from local wine professionals and developing relationships with instructors, classmates and guest lecturers throughout the program.
The graduate certificate brings those wine-focused courses together in fully online format designed for working professionals. Courses are taught by industry experts, connecting graduate-level business principles with the realities of operating, marketing and selling wine.
Students who choose to continue their education can apply their certificate credits toward Linfield’s Master of Science in Business in Wine Business Leadership.
Located in McMinnville in the heart of Oregon wine country, Linfield’s Center for Wine Education connects academic learning with the people and businesses shaping the wine industry.
Applications now open for winter 2027
Professionals looking to advance in the wine industry or bring their existing skills into wine are encouraged to apply for the winter 2027 Graduate Certificate in Wine Business Leadership.
Learn more and apply: https://linfield.edu/programs/wine-business-leadership-graduate-certificate/index.html
About the Linfield University Center for Wine Education
The Center for Wine Education at Linfield University provides interdisciplinary wine education connecting students and professionals with the global wine industry through undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs.
