FIU partners with Penfolds wines to offer prestigious wine studies beverage management scholarship

The Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at FIU and Penfolds wines has announced an innovative partnership and establishment of the Penfolds Evermore Wine Studies Scholarship Fund to create a pathway to a career in the wine industry. The educational initiative is made possible through a generous gift from Penfolds, under the Treasury Wine Estates portfolio.

“We are honored to partner with Penfolds, a leader and one of the most respected names in global wine making, to expand access and hands-on learning opportunities in the wine industry,” said Michael Cheng, dean of the Chaplin School.

The multi-year scholarship will cover the cost of in-state Florida tuition and funding to participate in an educational study trip in Napa Valley, California, for students pursuing careers in wine studies. Each year, two high-achieving students enrolled in or accepted to the Chaplin School will be selected. In addition, the luxury wine brand is offering student internship opportunities in Napa Valley.

"Our Evermore program is all about supporting the next generation of bold, curious industry professionals, those future winemakers, viticulturists, sommeliers and hospitality leaders eager to grow, learn and gain real-world experience. We’re proud to partner with Florida International University and the Vidal-Duart Wine Studies Program to launch the inaugural Penfolds Evermore Wine Studies Scholarship Fund, helping create meaningful opportunities that lay the foundation for tomorrow’s industry leaders," said Kristy Keyte, Chief Marketing Officer at Penfolds.

The Penfolds Evermore Wine Studies Scholarship Fund will be administered by the FIU Foundation and overseen by the Chaplin School. It marks another partnership in the continued growth of the Chaplin School’s Vidal-Duart Wine Studies Program, the only wine studies program in the country named by a Hispanic family and part of a 50-year legacy of preeminent wine education at the Chaplin School.

Since its naming in 2023, the Vidal-Duart Wine Studies Program has expanded its faculty and curriculum, created dozens of experiential learning opportunities, hosted community events and master classes and has successfully prepared graduates for professions across all sectors of the wine industry, including distribution and sales, technology and ownership. It has also continued to elevate the program at the world-famous South Beach Wine & Food Festival®, which benefits and is produced by the Chaplin School and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.

Two FIU hospitality students are already among the first to participate in the partnership.

“Learning about the wine portfolio has been amazing. I feel so lucky and blessed to have been chosen for this because I know it’s going to help in my career,” said Elaine Mena, a hospitality management student who spent the summer in Napa Valley on a 10-week internship at Penfolds.

The Chaplin School has long been a pioneer in beverage education. Its wine studies program and undergraduate degree in beverage and spirits management date back to the 1990s. The program was shaped by the late legendary FIU professor Patrick “Chip” Cassidy, alongside industry icons and Southern Wine & Spirits Founders, the late Harvey Chaplin, the late Jay Weiss and Mel Dick. Together they laid the foundation that continues to shape future leaders in the global wine and beverage industry.