CT Wine Symposium, March 25

WEST HAVEN — Ever thought about planting your own vineyard? Maybe you already have grape vines, but are looking for ways to improve your harvest. Or perhaps the whole world of wine — from growing to making to enjoying — is simply one of your passions.

Regardless of your level of expertise, The Seventh Annual Connecticut Wine Symposium will offer answers, suggestions and inspiration. This year’s symposium will be on Saturday, March 25, from 8 am until 5:30 pm at the University of New Haven’s Maxcy Hall, 300 Boston Post Road

The daylong symposium, which is co-sponsored by the hospitality management program at Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) in Waterbury, includes four workshops, a luncheon seminar called “The Real Art of Matching Food and Wine,” two panel discussions, and an international wine reception.

Advance registration is required for the event, which sells out every year and attracts participants from around the state, as well as New York and Rhode Island.

Workshops include “The Top 5 Mistakes Made When Planting Grapes in a Cooler Climate,” run by Dr Richard Kiyomoto of the University of Connecticut; “Understanding the Use of Wine Additives,” by Wayne Stitzer, owner of WineTecc, an analytical service for home winemakers; “Decisions Behind Planting a Vineyard,” by Dennis Rak, owner of Double A Vineyards in Fredonia, N.Y.; and “Taking the Steps toward Organic Viticulture,” by Larry McCulloch, winemaker at Chamard Vineyard, who will explain the evolution of farming practices at Chamard.

Cost is $55, or $45 with proof of current membership in the American Wine Society or The Connecticut Vineyard and Wine Association.

For reservations, contact NVCC professor Peter Cisek at 203-575-8198, 203-232-9601 or Pcisek@NVCC.commnet.edu.

To print out a registration form online, visit TeachersAndAssociates.com, and click on Wine Events.

NVCC created a wine curriculum in 1998, becoming the first community college in the Northeast to have one. That same year, an experimental vineyard was planted on campus that has been producing wine since 1999. NVCC’s wine curriculum falls under its associate degree program for hospitality management, a program that offers concentrations in either hotel or food-service management.