It's hard to tell if it's winter or spring in Davis these days, with a mix of sunny and stormy days, but we are gearing up for the busy season right around the corner!

A handful of tickets are still available for the Klenz Lecture on March 13 featuring The Wine Bible's author and WineSpeed editor, Karen MacNeil. It will be a memorable evening hearing from an industry expert, including a hosted reception and special pop-up exhibit curated by the UC Davis Library Archives and Special Collections. 

Save the date for a Forum on May 17 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm focusing on UC Davis's delicious strawberry breeding program. Attendees will taste some new varieties while hearing from Professor Steven Knapp, Glenn Cole, and Hillary Thomas, Research and Technical Director at Naturipe Berry Growers. Please watch a highlight video produced by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences for a taste of what will come. We'll open registration soon!

The Department of Viticulture and Enology has almost completed the process of becoming a licensed wine seller under the entity Hilgard631 (the address of the UC Davis Winery). They invite current UC Davis undergraduate and graduate students and Department of Viticulture and Enology faculty and staff to participate in an exciting contest to help design the labels for these bottles. Visit their webpage for details.

If you have yet to visit the Robert Mondavi Institute or want to learn more about our state-of-the-art facilities and programs, I encourage you to watch our virtual tour video series on our YouTube channel. Even in stormy weather, you can visit us virtually.

Finally, any alumni who use a UC Davis email address to receive our newsletter, please read the important update below.

Enjoy the slightly longer days, and we'll see you at an event soon!

Sincerely,

Ned Spang
Director, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science
Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology

View the entire February 2024 newsletter.