Peter Michael Winery Donates $300,000 to the Sonoma State University Wine Spectator Learning Center

CALISTOGA, Calif., Sept. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Peter Michael Winery is pleased to announce they have made a donation to Sonoma State University's (SSU) School of Business and Economics in the amount of $300,000. The gift will be used to create The Peter Michael Winery Executive Classroom at the new Wine Spectator Learning Center, the future home of SSU's Wine Business Institute.

"The Winery is delighted to have the opportunity to partner with Sonoma State University in furthering the development of the Wine Business Institute," said Paul Michael, son of Sir Peter and Lady Michael. "The curriculum offered by the Wine Business Institute fills an important need and we are very excited to contribute to the future impact this program will have in the wine industry. In addition to our financial commitment, we look forward to sharing our expertise with the students in various levels of the wine business program."

"It is an honor to sponsor the Wine Business Institute and help with the development of the Wine Spectator Learning Center," said Emily Michael, daughter-in-law of Sir Peter and Lady Michael. "We feel privileged to be able to come to this area of the world several times a year and be part of the community of Sonoma County. We look forward to the opening of the Wine Spectator Learning Center and watching these students as they shape the future of the wine industry."

The Peter Michael Winery Executive Classroom will be an integral component of SSU's new state-of-the-art Wine Business Institute facility. It will provide an environment where the current and future leaders of the wine industry can learn about sales and marketing.

"We are grateful for the generosity of the Peter Michael Winery and their partnership in furthering our vision to be the global leader in wine business research and education," said Ray Johnson, Director, Wine Business Institute. "This gift will make a difference for years to come."

Located in the heart of wine country, Sonoma State University's Wine Business Institute is one of the most important and comprehensive wine business educational programs in the world. The Institute's curriculum includes courses in finance and accounting, production and operations, and sales and marketing programs specific to the wine industry. SSU's new Wine Business Institute facility is slated to open in 2017.

About Peter Michael Winery
Over the last three decades, Peter Michael Winery has established a reputation for producing terroir-based wines from world-class vineyards. From the beginning, the Michael family has dedicated the estate to the credo: "mountain vineyards, classical winemaking, limited production." In 1982, Sir Peter and Lady Michael founded the winery on a square mile of rocky volcanic ridges that form the western face of Mount St. Helena in Knights Valley, Sonoma County, California. The estate's vineyards rest on steep hillsides ranging in elevation from 900 to 2000 feet. Over time, the Michael Family has acquired additional hillside vineyards on the Sonoma Coast in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA and in Oakville of Napa Valley. With more than 175 acres under vines, the winery is renowned for its single-vineyard, estate-grown bottlings of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Cabernet based wines. 

About Wine Business Institute
WBI is an education and research institute of the School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University. SSU is the first institution of higher learning in the U.S. to offer an undergraduate degree and advanced degrees focused on the business of wine, and the first school of business in the world to offer an executive-level wine degree. With its unique location, outstanding faculty, and deep relationships in the world of wine, SSU and WBI attract current and future professionals from California and around the world. They come to experience first-hand the expertise and wealth of connections among students, alumni and industry leaders.

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SOURCE Peter Michael Winery

Related Links

http://www.petermichaelwinery.com