More Than A Student: Adam Snyder

Adam Snyder is a junior at Texas State studying electronic media, and an active member of KTSW. Between juggling his schoolwork, social life, and his passion for music, it’s safe to say he’s a pretty busy guy. Add on Adam’s minor in English and you’ll quickly realize he’s a man of many talents. But what you’ll never guess is once Adam clocks out of his shift at the radio station, he makes wine out of flowers from his very own marigold garden.

He began making his own wine three years ago after a few early homebrewing experiments in his bedroom closet. Adam always had a fascination with the creation of alcohol and wanted to get hands-on experience with his very own wine. The first step in his journey was finding the perfect flavor palette for his beverage.

“After drinking many batches of absolute swill, I started learning more about making a more appealing wine,” Adam said.

After observing that people in England used different plants like dandelion to make wine, he decided he would give it a shot. Adam looked around his garden and noticed he had an abundance of marigolds that were fully bloomed and shortly after that observation his first batch of marigold wine was born.

“I thought ‘marigolds are edible, why not try to make wine out of them?’” Adam said. “There’s a lot of science, but making wine is more about the art. Getting the proportions of sugar and yeast right and letting it sit for the right amount of time.”

Now Adam is an expert at making his signature marigold wine and has perfected the taste with a few years of practice. Winemaking has turned into a fun hobby for him that combines his love for alcohol and gardening in a unique way.

“I wouldn’t consider anything I made a proper wine until I started with the marigolds,” Adam said. “There’s something about using only your own ingredients instead of some juice from the store that makes it taste better I think.”

From a quick glance, Adam appears to be a regular student involved in multiple facets of life here at Texas State, but his winemaking craft puts him in a league of his own. Embracing your individuality is a part of one of our core values, and we want to support Bobcats who do! What makes you #MoreThanAStudent? Tag us @LBJSC to get featured on our social media showcasing what makes you unique.