Purdue Wine Appreciation: The Rejoicing Vine Returns to Teach the Art of Sparkling Wine

Brent
Oct 14, 2024
3 min read

The Rejoicing Vine owner Brent Kumfer back at Class of 50 lecture hall to teach on sparkling wine production

Walking into the “Class of ’50” lecture hall again after nearly twenty years brought a mix of nostalgia and nerves. The last time I sat there, I was cramming for engineering exams. This time, I stood at the front of the room—invited to guest lecture for Purdue Wine Appreciation, one of Purdue University’s most popular courses, known for introducing students to the science, culture, and craftsmanship behind wine.

As a Purdue Electrical Engineering graduate (BSEE ’05) turned winery owner, it was surreal to return to campus not as a student, but as an educator. My topic for the day? Sparkling Wine Production—a subject that perfectly blends the technical precision of engineering with the artistry of winemaking.

Full Circle: From Engineering to Enology

Returning to Purdue reminded me how unexpectedly interconnected disciplines can be. My background in electrical engineering taught me problem-solving, precision, and process control—all skills I now use daily in winemaking. Whether calculating carbonation levels or building 3-D printed aphrometers at the Carmel Library, the foundation laid at Purdue continues to shape how I approach both science and creativity.

Brent Kumfer holds up a custom made aphrometer for monitoring bottle fermentation of champagne wine — *Brent shows off his 3-D printed aphrometer used for monitoring bottle fermentation in Traditional Method sparkling wines*

And standing before nearly 500 students, I couldn’t help but imagine the next generation of Purdue graduates who will go on to innovate in agriculture, food science, and winemaking. Their curiosity and enthusiasm are exactly what keeps the Purdue Wine Appreciation class thriving.

Teaching Purdue Wine Appreciation: Where Science Meets Celebration

The Purdue Wine Appreciation course is more than just a class—it’s a deep dive into how wine reflects chemistry, agriculture, and sensory perception. Sharing the science of bubbles with 472 students in that auditorium was both exhilarating and humbling. Together, we explored how climate, grape acidity, and winemaking techniques influence the final character of a sparkling wine.

My presentation covered several major sparkling-wine methods:

Ancestral (Pét-Nat) Method – the oldest, most natural approach where the wine finishes fermenting in bottle for a rustic, lively sparkle.
Charmat (Prosecco) Method – fermentation in tanks for a fruit-forward, youthful style.
Traditional (Champagne) Method – second fermentation in the bottle, riddling, and dosage to fine-tune texture and balance.
Forced Carbonation (Kegging) Method - using gas tanks to inject carbon dioxide into the wine in order to serve from kegs and eliminate waste.

Students also got a behind-the-scenes look at sustainable winemaking—from regenerative farming to cutting carbon emissions through wine kegging, which eliminates glass bottles that account for up to 70% of a wine’s carbon footprint.

Cultivating Life Through Sparkling Wine

At The Rejoicing Vine, our sparkling wines are crafted with the same philosophy that guides our vineyard and our lives: Cultivate Life. We see winemaking as an ecosystem—encouraging biodiversity in the vineyard, sourcing grapes responsibly, and embracing minimal-intervention techniques in the cellar.

Those practices formed the heart of my lecture and resonated strongly with the students. Purdue’s dedication to agricultural innovation, sustainability, and education mirrors our own mission. Seeing how these future scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs engaged with questions about yeast strains, pH balance, and bottle aging was inspiring.

A Sparkling Result in More Ways Than One

To bring theory to life, we concluded the session with a comparative tasting featuring wines from Champagne, Burgundy, Chablis, and our own Rejoicing Vine sparkling wine. Each student evaluated aroma, acidity, balance, and finish—using the same analytical framework taught throughout the semester.

When the votes were tallied, 49% of the class selected our sparkling wine as their favorite, surpassing the closest opponent - Champagne - by over double (preferred by only 24%) of students. Beyond the gratifying result, it was a moment that affirmed how Indiana-made wines can stand proudly beside some of the world’s most famous regions.

For me, that wasn’t just a win for The Rejoicing Vine—it was a win for the future of the entire Indiana wine community.

View of the lecture from the back of the hall

A Toast to Purdue Wine Appreciation and Indiana’s Future

I’m deeply grateful to Purdue’s Wine Appreciation faculty for inviting me to share the story of The Rejoicing Vine and to inspire students to see how technology, sustainability, and creativity come together in a glass of sparkling wine.

For Purdue alumni and wine lovers across Indianapolis and beyond—I invite you to visit us at The Rejoicing Vine. Experience firsthand the sparkling wines with roots in West Lafayette and are now crafted with care in the heart of Indiana.

It’s proof that what begins in a Purdue classroom can lead to something truly worth celebrating.

Boiler Up—and Sparkle On! 🍾