Shopping at the Davis Farmers Market is a classic Saturday morning activity for Davis locals and visitors alike. Showcasing freshly picked, vibrant fruits and vegetables, local farmers line up stalls to market their produce to the community and connect with consumers. These farmers come from small farms, the topic of the recent Savor lecture, hosted by the Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine, titled “Sustaining Small Farms.”

If you’re a wine drinker like me, you probably have some fundamental knowledge about grape varieties. For example, Sauvignon Blanc makes white wine and Pinot Noir makes red wine, right? Well, it depends!

As someone who has studied viticulture and enology in both my bachelor’s and my current master’s program, I have learned that most grape-growing and winemaking is problem-solving. It’s up to the grape-grower and winemaker if they want to problem-solve proactively or reactively (or both), but trust me, the problems will come eventually and need solving—and you simply can’t prepare for them all.

As a viticulture and enology student, I have become accustomed to the process of wine tasting through my years of study and practice. The process has remained romantic while becoming systematic to me--I see, swirl, sniff, sip, savor the wine. During the Robert Mondavi Institute’s Sips and Bites event “Exploring the World of Artisanal Tea,” I learned that this same tasting approach also applies to tea, the most consumed prepared beverage in the world.

They say there’s a first time for everything. The recent Savor lecture “Our First Superfood and the Infant Microbiome” was the first time I watched a game show focusing solely on breast milk, the original “superfood.” I’m sure it was the first time for many others in the Zoom audience too!

I’m Kendal Koorenny, a senior in the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program who has been given a fun and exciting task: giving a student’s perspective on events hosted by the Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science.