It feels like we are on the cusp of Summer, with warmer temperatures bringing bees and blooms to the Good Life Garden at the heart of the Robert Mondavi Institute.

Dear RMI Supporter,

As you may have heard, after five years as director, I am leaving the Robert Mondavi Institute at the end of June, one year after my professorship retirement. The Dean’s Office is searching for the next director, ideally a professor with a passion for public outreach, and hopes to appoint my replacement by July 1.

Only two months are left in the academic year, and the campus is buzzing with spring energy!

Grains feed the world, but not all grains are (or taste!) equal. Just like the taste of wine depends on the type of grape, grain varieties affect quality, color, flavor, and more.

It has often been said that great wine is made in the vineyard, and it is very true that high-quality grapes are a fundamental ingredient for producing excellent wine. However, the people who tend to the vineyard are often overlooked.

It may still be raining in Northern California, but the winter quarter is ending for students with finals next week, and the trees on campus are starting to bloom! Spring ushers in a busy time with many intriguing events.

From UC Davis News

Wine Enthusiast Magazine has named UC Davis enologist Anita Oberholster and two of her colleagues from other universities “Innovators of the Year” for their research on the effects of wildfire smoke on wine grapes.

The Robert Mondavi Institute started the year with two sold-out Sips and Bites events. It was wonderful to see the Sensory Theater packed with attendees!

Chocolate and wine are more similar than one might think. For example, chocolate and wine are both fermented, can be analyzed for tasting notes and other sensory descriptors like tannins, and are produced worldwide. With so many different styles and origins of wine and chocolate, tasters can have a lot of fun deciphering which kinds of wines and chocolates best pair together to create a divine sensory experience.

Did you know that mushrooms are technically not plants? I certainly didn’t before I attended Sips and Bites: Fascinated by Fungi at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science featuring Dr. Gordon Walker, UC Davis alumnus and fungi expert extraordinaire.

2023 started with extreme weather in Northern California with prolonged flooding, power outages, and many fallen trees on campus and in surrounding communities. We welcome the much-needed rain but are also grateful for sunny skies this week as we recover.

The holidays arrived quickly this year, and while it is a time for reflection and celebrations with family, we are also busy planning a great line-up of events for 2023.

I grew up in Los Angeles, so my childhood was not marked by many experiences surrounding agriculture. Many students who attend UC Davis come from similar backgrounds, so UC Davis is where students like me are exposed to the plethora of sciences and niches under the umbrella of agriculture. Personally, my passion for wine and grapes was found when I attended UC Davis, something I had never been exposed to previously. Meanwhile, some find their passion for goats, or what Ben Rupchis calls the “gateway livestock,” for students foraying into agriculture.

The changing color of the leaves and the colder temperatures usher in the holiday season filled with food, friends, and feelings of gratitude.

Every winemaker has a toolkit. Before, during, and after fermentation, the winemaker can use their tools to craft the wine they want to create, a wine that fits their style, the consumer’s desires, or the vineyard/region. Part of this toolkit is wine additions. These additions are dictated by the laws of the local wine region and, should the wine be exported, the wines of the importing country.