(NBBJ) - Few would disagree that the North Bay is a hub for the production of award-winning wines, a region synonymous with quality grapes and home to a roster of expert winemakers from around the world.

Yet while those wines are a subject of widespread intrigue, enthusiasm for the first-ever Wine Industry Finance and Accounting certificate program at Sonoma State University speaks to another key concern for current and would-be wine industry professionals — romance aside, winemaking is pure business.

“A winemaker can create great wine — there’s certainly an artistic and scientific side. But there’s also a financial side,” said Ray Johnson, director of the school’s Wine Business Institute.

Offered for the first time this year, the eight-course certificate program took many of the financial skills taught in the school’s full-blown wine business degree programs and broke those topics out for focused instruction to a non-student audience, Mr. Johnson said.