Viticulture & Enology

The Sensory Theater fell quiet as Ned Spang, Director of the Robert Mondavi Institute, welcomed a familiar face back to campus. Dr. Hoby Wedler, a UC Davis alumnus who has been blind since birth, returned not just as a chemist, entrepreneur, and sensory expert but as the guide for the first public tasting built entirely around UC Davis student-made wines.

Every Thursday evening during the quarter at UC Davis, undergrads, graduate students, faculty, and researchers come together with wine glasses in hand for VITIS, the wine tasting club run through the Davis Enology and Viticulture Organization (DEVO). Here, they taste wines while learning directly from the people making them.

When Michael Mondavi steps into a room, he brings decades of wine expertise and the living history of Napa Valley with him. On October 7, 2025, the "quiet icon" of California winemaking shared his history, and hard-won lessons about surviving the industry's ups and downs, with students, alumni, and faculty at the Robert Mondavi Institute's Sensory Theater.

The end of the year is fast approaching and we are excited to be working on new upcoming events.

I am pleased to share the 2024 Robert Mondavi Institute Year in Review. I hope you will read about last year's RMI highlights and accomplishments with a focus on student engagement and partnerships. You can find all of our reports on the RMI website.

Another academic year has come to a close and we congratulate all of the students who graduated this month. I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments of the students and can't wait to see their successes in the future.

From the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

For the first time in its storied history, the University of California, Davis, is selling wines to the public made by students, staff and faculty from grapes they grow in the Napa Valley and around campus in Yolo County.

This year’s Women in Wine Symposium boldly embraced the theme “Breaking Tradition.” Hosted by the student-led UC Davis Women in Wine group, the event brought together leaders, students, alumni, and advocates committed to building a more inclusive, sustainable, and innovative wine industry. 

The Robert Mondavi Institute courtyard came alive at the UC Davis Alumni Wine Showcase. UC Davis alumni winemakers gathered to pour, connect, and celebrate their shared foundation in the Department of Viticulture and Enology. The event showcased the strength of the UC Davis wine network, from icons like Schramsberg Vineyards, Silver Oak Cellars, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, and Williams Selyem, to rising stars like Great Bear Vineyards, Eco Terreno, Forgotten Union Wines, and others.

The Robert Mondavi Institute and the whole UC Davis campus have been buzzing with activity in the last week.