Savor: Lectures on Food and Wine hosts thought leaders, entrepreneurs, policy makers and scientific experts for evenings of illuminating discussion on some of the biggest topics in food and wine being studied at UC Davis today. The Robert Mondavi Institute and UC Davis Library have embarked on this partnership to advance our shared commitment to supporting scholarship about food and wine, at UC Davis and beyond.
The Science and Mystery of Smell
Feb 10, 2021: A conversation with author Harold McGee, who has written about the power of smell to expose unseen details of our world and life, and UC Davis Professor Susan Ebeler, who studies how aroma compounds interact and contribute to complex food and beverage flavors.
California's Vanishing Chardonnay
Nov 10, 2020: Esther Mobley, wine writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, Dan Petroski, winemaker for Larkmead Vineyards, and UC Davis Assistant Professor Elisabeth Forrestel on the future of grapes and wine in California, and the need to diversify in the face of climate change.
How Big Soda Got Us Hooked
May 27, 2020: A conversation with Jennifer Falbe, who evaluated the effectiveness of the nation’s first “soda tax” in Berkeley, and California Assembly Member Richard Bloom, who has sponsored similar statewide legislation, to discuss California’s fight against Big Soda.
Food Shortages in a Pandemic
May 12, 2020: An expert panel of UC Davis researchers, policymakers, and food purveyors discussed how our food supply chain works, why the COVID-19 pandemic has been so disruptive, and what changes can be made to make food systems more resilient.
Wine, Wildfire and Climate Change
June 3, 2019: A conversation with former Governor Jerry Brown, who emphasizes the need for California agriculture to adapt to climate change, and Anita Oberholster, from the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, who studies the effect of smoke exposure on wine grapes.
Farm to Table and Back Again: Feeding More with Less
February 4, 2019: Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME), a national leader on food policy, and Edward Spang, an assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology, discussed innovations to ensure that more food makes it from the farm to the home.