On October 22, 2024, Ed Matovcik, Vice President of Public Affairs at Constellation Brands (owner of well-known wineries like Robert Mondavi Winery and Opus One), spoke at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science about the ongoing debate about alcohol and its health effects. With decades of experience advocating for the wine industry in both Washington, D.C. and Napa, Matovcik is deeply involved in various organizations that support the wine industry and those who work in wine.
Food and wine are more than just great flavors – they reflect the stories of communities and traditions. Darrell Corti, a Sacramento food and wine expert, has spent a lifetime sharing those stories, enriching California’s culinary landscape with his introduction of new tastes, ingredients and varietals.
To honor Corti’s contributions, Bob and Roger Trinchero, brothers from one of the largest family-owned wineries in the country and producers of Sutter Home wines, have established the $1.5 million "Darrell Corti Endowed Professorship in Food, Wine and Culture" at UC Davis.
Summertime is officially here! We're so proud of all the graduates honored at commencement ceremonies this month. The campus is quiet now, and we'll take time to plan our events for the next academic year, develop our strategic plan, and prepare for a busy fall.
Years ago, Bob Leidigh and Barbara Leidigh (nee Williams) were both entering freshmen at UC Davis. They came from different locales and different backgrounds. They met Homecoming Weekend at the pre-game dance at Freeborn Hall (then known as "The Pajamarino”). Soon thereafter, they were actively dating and then going steady. Today, nearly sixty years later, they are still a couple.
Online classes, masking requirements and isolation guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic made it hard for UC Davis students to connect and network.
Students in the Department of Viticulture and Enology sought to change that dynamic and they formed Women in Wine, a group for women and those who exist in women’s spaces to connect with others in production and winemaking.
An interdisciplinary team of scientists and researchers from University of California, Davis, are studying agave plants in the Golden State as farmers are turning to the crop as a potential drought-tolerant option of the future.
Ben Montpetit, a yeast geneticist and biochemist, is the new chair of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at University of California, Davis.
Montpetit joined UC Davis in 2016 and became department vice chair in 2021.
In his new role, he plans to enhance student offerings, continue to advance diversity efforts and foster investment in students, faculty, staff and department operations.
Wild North American grapes are now less of a mystery after an international team of researchers led by the University of California, Davis, decoded and catalogued the genetic diversity of nine species of this valuable wine crop.
A red wine may pair nicely with the upcoming Thanksgiving meal. But for some people, drinking red wine even in small amounts causes a headache. Typically, a “red wine headache” can occur within 30 minutes to three hours after drinking as little as a small glass of wine.
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.
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.
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.
When a consumer walks down the grocery store wine aisle, their eyes are simultaneously bombarded with a multitude of colors and pictures on labels, with each label representing one of the many brands trying to reach the consumer. Competition abounds, so brands attempt to grab consumers’ attention quickly. There is one wine company that stands out. It’s not because of fancy embossed labels or contorted glass bottles; rather, O’Neill Vintners and Distillers stands out because of its commitment to sustainability.
