Another academic year has come to a close and we congratulate all of the students who graduated this month. I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments of the students and can't wait to see their successes in the future.

The Department of Food Science and Technology's FST 160 Food Product Development is one student showcase that always impresses me. The students develop a new food product from idea to recipe formulation to packaging and marketing. Some of this year's products included a high-protein cookie dough using okara, a byproduct of tofu processing, and an umami bean sauce packed with flavor and plant protein and ready to be added to noodles or used as a dipping sauce. You can watch a video from last year's class to see students in action.

Another student showcase is the Department of Viticulture and Enology's VEN 127L Post-Fermentation Wine Processing Lab. Students learn to do everything after the wine is made, including blending, bottling, labeling, marketing, and more. The finished products are commercially viable bottles of wine. And now YOU can buy them!

After more than a decade of work by the Department of Viticulture and Enology, you can now purchase wine produced by students, staff and faculty with grapes they grow in Napa Valley and around the UC Davis campus. Hilgard631 officially sells the wine and money from the sales will support student scholarships. A 2024 sauvignon blanc and 2020 cabernet sauvignon made from grapes at Oakville Station are priced at $50 to $125, respectively. Twelve other wines produced by students in the VEN 127L class are priced from $30 to $40, including albariño, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, and petite sirah. Visit Hilgard631 for details on July pick-up dates

If you missed our last event, you can now watch the Savor: AI in Food Innovation recording and read an event recap by student writer Gwen Gonzalez. You can also read an overview of the Women in Wine Symposium by student writer Kaylianne Jordan.

Fall events will be here before you know it! Please save the date for our upcoming Savor lecture about wine and health on September 16 and the 12th annual TASTE food and wine fundraiser on October 11.

Other fall events include Everything You Need to Know to Grow Olives for Oil on August 1-2 with the UC Davis Olive Center, the 4th Annual Innovation Summit for Protein-Rich Foods on September 8-9 with the Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein, and Terra Madre Americas on September 26-28 with Slow Food International and Visit Sacramento.

We'll take a break from sending a newsletter next month so expect more updates in August.

Enjoy your summer!

Sincerely,

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

View the entire June 2025 newsletter.