June 2026: Letter from the Director
UC Davis Wines & Research Support
This year’s selection of student-made and UC Davis-labeled wines is now available. The next sale date is Friday, June 26, from 12:00 to 2:00 pm, with more dates throughout the summer and fall. Six wines were created by viticulture and enology students as part of the post-fermentation class held each spring. They did everything from blending to bottling, including the label design, utilizing grapes grown on campus and at the Oakville research station in Napa Valley. There are also three new UC Davis wines, including a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Sauvignon Blanc, and an Albariño. I encourage you to check out these exceptional wines. All proceeds support student scholarship.
Another big announcement is the official opening of the Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation. It was made possible by philanthropic support and named for Lynda and Stewart Resnick, who gave a transformative lead gift. The 34,000-square-foot facility revolutionizes hands-on learning for students by connecting them with emerging technologies and active research projects to support sustainability, agricultural resilience, food access, and more.
In his recent newsletter, Chancellor Gary May shared “10 Ways UC Davis is Changing the World”. You can learn about UC Davis's long history of impacting industry and lives, from the wine you drink, the strawberries in your refrigerator, the tomatoes you eat, to hybrid cars and how babies communicate. You can delve even deeper by visiting Labs to Lives to see how research has impacted real people.
Speaking of the importance of research, the University of California is co-sponsoring a critical piece of legislation under consideration by the California Legislature. If SB 895 is placed on the November ballot and approved by voters, it would directly benefit research efforts at UC Davis, strengthening our impact across the region and state. You can learn more about how this bill supports research at the UC and UC Davis as well as in the communities we serve, and actions you can take to support it on the UC website.
Closer to campus, the Delarue Lab has a multi-week jujube fruit sensory study that you can sign up for. The descriptive analysis study runs from June 30 to July 21 and includes 14 one-hour sessions. At the end, you will receive a $150 Amazon gift card. Even if you’ve never tried a dried jujube, sign up and help their research!
Finally, we have a number of event recaps for you in case you missed recent events at the Robert Mondavi Institute. On our blog, you can read articles by our student writer Kaylianne Jordan, covering the Women+ in Wine Symposium, the Vine to Mind Symposium and the Judgment of Davis, the 2nd Annual Alumni Wine Showcase, and the Jackfruit Around the World student cooking competition.
Our next newsletter will arrive in your inbox in mid-August. Until then, explore our blog and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more programs and topics, and don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend or colleague.
Sincerely,
Ned Spang
Director, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science
Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology
Ned Spang
Director, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science
Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology