February 26, 2025: Caviar is the ultimate luxury item on menus worldwide, but did you know premium American caviar is just 40 minutes from UC Davis? Aquaculture research at UC Davis helped jumpstart farmed caviar in the Sacramento Valley. Since 1984, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar has produced high-quality caviar, focusing on sustainability and transparency, becoming the largest producer in the United States. Attendees will enjoy samples of caviar and learn how to pair them with méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines from Domaine Carneros, established in 1987 in Napa Valley.

April 11, 2023: The UC Davis SCOPE Small Grains project is a student-led collaborative that strives to breed improved grains and bring out unique flavor profiles and quality characteristics for organic growers and artisanal or specialty markets. Attendees will taste crackers from three different UC breeding program grains: wheat, triticale (a wheat-rye hybrid), and naked barley. You might find your new favorite flour for baking!

February 7, 2023: Just in time for Valentine's Day, join us as we taste various chocolates and learn how to best pair them with wine. Thalia Hohenthal and Rebecca Kuehn from Guittard Chocolate Company will join Gus Zhu, the first Chinese national Master of Wine, as they guide attendees to find their preferred pairings.

January 25, 2023: From delicious delicacies to fermenting grapes into wine, fungi are fascinating, dynamic, and beautiful. Dr. Gordon Walker has reached millions of people through his social media account, Fascinated by Fungi, sharing the diversity of colors, forms, and functions in the fungi kingdom. Join us as he discusses the biology and ecology of fungi, shares some basic types of mushroom morphology, and talks about edibility and toxicity.

November 1, 2022: Wine treatments are commonly used to enhance the taste, mouth feel, or aroma of the wines we drink. Learn how to discern the impact with a side-by-side tasting of treated and untreated wines with additions that are commonly used in making wine. Dr. James Campbell and Dr. Andrew Waterhouse will discuss different treatments and their effect on wine through a guided tasting.

August 23, 2022: Summers in the Sacramento Valley brings an abundance of juicy peaches, sun-warmed tomatoes, and ripe berries. With local farmers, UC Davis Dining Services brings you fabulous treats made from the freshest produce. Every day they serve students with their healthy initiatives and innovative menus. Taste and compare what Russell Ranch can offer with thoughtfully prepared bites by Chef Bob Walden.

April 13, 2022: Experience a rare opportunity to taste experimental wines with industry experts. James Campbell, a graduate researcher, produced two wines that illustrate naturally occurring pigments’ effect on tannins. He will join Dr. Andrew Waterhouse to discuss the research project, followed by a guided tasting with Madeline Puckett, co-founder of Wine Folly and master Sommelier, and Dr. Hildegarde Heymann, Ray Rossi Endowed Chair in Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis.

December 15, 2021: The Global Tea Initiative for the Study of Tea Culture and Science was established in 2015 to promote evidence-based knowledge about tea, the most consumed prepared beverage in the world. Join us to hear an overview of the work and taste four teas from Qtrade Teas & Herbs, and ITO EN, North America, Inc.

November 17, 2021: UC Davis is home to world-class education and research centers, many of which produce high-quality products as part of their programs. Just in time for the holidays, we'll showcase products from the Meat Lab, the Honey and Pollination Center, the Coffee Center, and the Olive Center.

August 25, 2021: Javier Fernandez-Salvador has been appointed as the new executive director of the UC Davis Olive Center. Learn about olive propagation and horticulture in a tasting and discussion.

May 26, 2021: The Bruery is challenging the concepts of possible beverages by introducing wine flavor into beer. Join us to hear about the cutting edge of innovations in beer and wine.

April 21, 2021: Cafe Ohlone (mak-‘amham) co-founders Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino discuss their efforts to strengthen Ohlone culture through food. mak-‘amham (mahk-am-haam) means “our food” in the Chochenyo language.

March 24, 2021: Learn about this versatile beverage from Ken Schramm, world renowned author and master mead maker at Schramm’s Mead, when he joins Amina Harris, Director of the Honey and Pollination Center, in an interview and tasting.

February 3, 2021: Thalia Hohenthal and Rebecca Kuehn of Guittard Chocolate Company, the country's oldest family-owned chocolate company, will discuss what creates the many flavors of chocolate.

November 18, 2020: Distillers Brian Keck and Chris Johnson on their time at UC Davis, their approach to making a variety of spirits, and a tasting of J.J. Pfister’s Eau de Vie Unaged Pear Brandy.

October 14, 2020: Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson discuss how one of Napa’s most celebrated and innovative wineries is changing how we make—and taste—wine. 

September 9, 2020: Claire and Trevor Tauzer, of Sola Bee Farms/Tauzer Apiaries, on what goes into making a varietal honey from a single floral source, how sustainable beekeeping is key to the future of agriculture, and what to look for when you taste varietal honeys.

August 12, 2020: Glen Fox, Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at UC Davis, Trenton Yackzan, co-owner of Sudwerk Brewing Co., and UC Davis Brewing Science students discuss what it takes to make a winning brew.

July 8, 2020: Corinne Rich and Katie Rouse, founders of Birdhorse Wines, joined Andrew Waterhouse for a chat about how they met, their time at UC Davis, and, of course, the wines they make.