Basic Chemistry for Winemakers

Online

Has your lack of chemistry and science background kept you from pursuing your dream of being a winemaker? Or did you take chemistry so long ago that your science training is only a distant memory? Then this course is for you. Designed as a prerequisite for UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education’s Winemaking Certificate Program, this course provides an introduction to the basic tenets of general, organic and biological chemistry and serves as a foundation for understanding the science behind the winemaking process. Winemaking involves much more than just general physical chemistry. As a product of grapes, wine is a complex solution of ethanol, organic acids, phenols, proteins and more. This intensive 13-week, online course operates at a brisk pace. The course will demand a commitment of 10 – 15 hours per week. In it you will receive an introduction to basic chemistry topics and areas of organic and biochemistry not usually covered in typical single-semester college chemistry, including:

  • Elements
  • Molecules
  • Bonding
  • Chemical reactions
  • Acids and bases
  • Organic compounds
  • Proteins and enzymes
  • Metabolic pathways
  • Wine chemistry topics

This course is based on the 2019 edition of Karen Timberlake’s text General, Organic and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life. Your enrollment fee includes a subscription to the publisher’s “Mastering Chemistry” tool, which will provide each student access to the e-text, as well as an online practice, feedback and assessment forum. This is a thirteen-week class worth 4 academic units.

Academic Units
4
Section Number
251WMC259
Instruction Method
Online class

Section Notes

Please note that this course’s drop/transfer fees differ from the standard policy. This is due to the student fees for online access to the E-Text used for the course, "General, Organic and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life,"6th Edition 2019 (Pearson), by Karen Timberlake. The following are the withdrawal/transfer fees for this course. 

  • For withdrawals or transfers within the first two weeks of class, there is a processing fee of $50. 

  • If your request is received later -- up to four weeks into the course, the fee will be $150 to cover the E-text subscription and administrative costs.

  • Four – six weeks into the course the transfer and withdrawal processing fees will be $200 

  • After six weeks into the course there will be no transfers or withdrawals. 

Enrollment Policies

Refunds for this course must be requested within two weeks after the start date. The refund processing fee is $50. View complete enrollment policy information including details on withdrawals and transfers.

Refund request deadline 06/02/2025.

Technical Requirements

To ensure your success in this online course, please review our technical requirements page.