The Wine Society of Texas (WST), a 501c3 non-profit educational organization, is pleased to announce that it will be awarding scholarships totaling $11,000 in support of four students. These students are: (a) attending institutions in the State of Texas, (b) studying viticulture and oenology, (c) seeking an online viticulture or Oenology Certificate, (d) pursuing advanced degrees in Horticulture in Texas, (e) involved with Texas winemaking or field studies/wine education, (f ) or involved in promoting the education of grape growing and winemaking in the State of Texas.
This scholarship assistance program is consistent with the founding ideas of WST and its continued mission to enhance the appreciation of Texas wines, foster the knowledge of oenology and viticulture, support charitable activities, and educate wine consumers throughout the State of Texas. The funding for the WST Scholarship Program is provided through charitable donations, local WST Chapter fundraising events, and annual statewide wine events.
“We are excited about the quality of the applications we continue to receive,” said Ms. Shirley Choate, State President of the WST. “We are pleased to continue our long tradition of providing meaningful scholarships to these worthy students who have a passion for the Texas wine industry and desire to help in its growth and recognition both locally and nationally. This is our way of going local by supporting Texas talent and investing in the future of the Texas wine industry.
“The WST is proud to have now provided scholarships of over $148,000 in the last 24 years through our Scholarship Program. This is all due to the continuous support and efforts of our members and individual donors who have made donations through the Wine Society of Texas website and fundraisers. We want to thank all of you for your contribution and commitment.”
The following is a summary of this year’s award recipients:
$3,500 James F. Whitley F. Founders Scholarship is awarded to Michael Cook
Mr. Cook is a full-time Extension Viticulturist completing his PHD in horticulture at Texas A&M University. It is his goal to be promoted to viticulture faculty as a full specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Mr. Cook obtained his BS degree from Texas A&M and his master’s from Fresno State University. With all his duties as a program specialist, he continues to maintain a 4.0 GPA. He serves on multiple boards and has written many publications. In addition, he has received numerous awards and honors over the last 11 years from various organizations. In addition, he has been serving as an Adjunct professor at Grayson College TV Munson V&E program. His current PHD project centers around looking at the optimization of grapevine water use efficiently East of the Rockies, centering around the Texas Hill Country and High Plains region, plus he is working with two national grape irrigation programs, OpenET and GRAPEX on the same subject. Mr. Cook was a 2023, 2024, and 2025 Wine Society of Texas scholarship recipient.
Michael Cook
$3,000 Jim Evans Scholarship is awarded to Rolf Koltulla
Mr. Kotulla is currently a full-time student at Grayson College working towards an AAS degree in Viticulture and Enology. He is currently enrolled full-time with a 4.0 GPA, completing coursework in viticulture, grapevine biology, winemaking, and management.
He is currently employed at Enoch Stomp Vineyard & Winery where he has earned his Court of Master’s Level 1 Certification and serves as Wine Ambassador. He also works in the production facility where he assists with winemaking, cellar operations, and inventory management. Distillation and public wine education.
Before attending Grayson, Mr. Kotulla served as a Law Enforcement Officer for 20 years.
Rolf Koltulla
$2,500 scholarship awarded to Melissa Herrera Miller
Mrs. Miller is working towards completing the Winemaking Certification Program at Texas Tech University. In addition, she recently established experiential grapevine plots in Jonestown, TX in the Hill Country to evaluate site suitability and growing conditions in this unique terroir for a future winery. Long-term, she also wants to complete her formal education in viticulture. She currently holds a PHD in Cell and Molecular Biology with a focus on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology from the University of Texas at Austin, an MS from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and a BS in Biology from the University of Texas San Antonio.
Mrs. Miller serves as an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas.
Melissa Herrera Miller
$2,000 scholarship is awarded to Harper Esterak
Ms. Harper is currently working towards a master’s degree in Horticulture and Enology at Texas A&M, where she has a 4.0 GPA. Her current research centers around conducting research to find the volatiles released when using Texas oak as a barrel source, as well as comparing the specific volatile profile of white oak grown in Texas versus that grown in other states. In addition to her research, she serves as a teaching assistant for the Enology class at Texas A&M.
After graduation, she hopes to help the Texas wine industry by using her sensory evaluation and science skills to make an impact on the research and production side.
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