From Classroom to Cellar: UC Davis Alumni Return to Share Their Wines

On a warm May evening, more than 20 alumni-affiliated wineries and wine organizations filled the courtyard at the Robert Mondavi Institute for the second annual UC Davis Alumni Wine Showcase. Organized by the Department of Viticulture and Enology, the Cal Aggie Alumni Association, Aggies Uncorked, and the Robert Mondavi Institute, the sold-out event brought graduates back to the place where many of them first learned to read a fermentation curve or build a blend. 

Bananaweizen: The Beer Behind the 2026 Iron Brew Win

Iron Brew is one of those UC Davis traditions that sounds almost too good to be real. Every winter, students in FST 102B Practical Malting and Brewing spend weeks formulating recipes, brewing batches on nanobreweries in the RMI pilot brewery, and competing for the chance to have their beer produced commercially. 

Past winners, including Off the Clock, Caledonian Nights, Mighty Gale Ale, and Brew La-La have gone from campus fermentors to taps at The Gunrock, Sudwerk Brewing Co., and now Dunloe Brewing . 

2026 Student Symposium on Food Justice

On Saturday, May 2nd, 2026, 83 students, faculty and staff from UC Davis gathered at the RMI Sensory building for the first Student Symposium on Food Justice. This gathering sought to unite students who are dedicated to a food system that nourishes both people and the planet and support our collective efforts to advance justice in our food system.

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Bitter or Better? The Rise and Future of Coffee

At the end of January, the Robert Mondavi Institute hosted Coffee Unfiltered: Thinking Outside the Cup, where coffee industry experts spoke to the coffee-curious about coffee’s origins, history and perception over the decades, and offered their predictions for the future. While pondering what could be next for coffee, what was clear above all was the deep connection coffee enthusiasts have with this beloved beverage, not only as a drink, but as a culture.