Ice cream, cheese and wine each have something in common today. As the next product to pair with Cougar Gold and a Ferdinand’s favorite, the viticulture department introduced Cougar Wine, which is made by students and alumni partnered with local wineries.

Wine-By-Cougars, the group responsible for Cougar Wine, launched eight years ago and has 600 members associated with the WSU Alumni Association (WSUAA). The wines they produce are made by wineries connected to WSU, which teach students and alumni about winemaking.

“WBC is the first of its kind,” said Tim Pavish, WSUAA executive director. “A wine club offered by a university’s alumni association focused on raising the profile of alumni wineries among the alumni and friends of the university.”

Wine-By-Cougars came from the network of support offered by WSU alumni and their desire to see Cougar wineries excel, Pavish said. So far the program has been a big success, and other alumni associations have made attempts to replicate the program.

This year, the students have made wines under the label “Blended Learning,” named after the concept of blending ideas and ingredients together for an original line of wines.

Thomas Henick-Kling, director of viticulture and enology at WSU, worked with his partner Bhaskar Bondada to teach students about winemaking.

The process of making Cougar Wine starts with students brainstorming ideas. They make decisions like the types of grapes to use, different techniques to apply and what the label should look like based on industry credentials.

“The students are in there from the beginning,” Henick-Kling said. “Coming up with ideas of what they want to make, to the point where they put it in the bottle.”

The most troubling question tackled during this process is whether the wine can be made in Washington. During the winemaking, the students learn about vineyards and how to make connections with wineries in the area. Then the students visit these wineries to work with the staff and make the wine.

“We actually did have a lot of hands-on experience,” said Dane Kenneth Day, one of the students in the program.

The experience covers the entire process of making the wine, Day said. The end result is a unique blend created for other students and alumni.

“There’s a lot of pride in WSU to give a product for alumni and students,” Day said.

Many wineries around the Palouse have connections with WSU and give these students the opportunity to learn about winemaking. However, the hands-on part can be a little difficult, Day said. The students must balance out their schoolwork with the busy wine harvest.

Despite this, the program has gained support from local growers and donators, who help supply the students with materials like barrels and give up their time to teach students about the long process of making wine.

Today, there are nearly 100 Cougar wineries that work with Wine-By-Cougars. The program has released a 2012 dry Riesling and a 2011 red blend from Horse Heaven Hills.

Visit http://alumni.wsu.edu/olc/pub/WHG/aprograms/page_aprograms_4.jsp for information about WSUAA membership and wine ordering.