UC Davis Viticulture and Enology (V&E) faculty, staff, and students represented the department at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium, January 29 and 30, 2025, at the Sacramento Convention Center. Our team’s booth and engagement with industry leaders highlighted the department's innovative research, cutting-edge approaches to teaching, evolving curriculum, new faculty, and our continuing leadership.

The UC Davis V&E Extension Team organized and presented several programs since the beginning of the year. We hosted two “On Campus” programs. The first, on February 19th, was titled, Exploring different aspects of vine health.

Our on-campus student outreach saw great momentum this winter, as we welcomed a wide range of visitors and collaborators. We hosted junior college counselors and presidents, middle and high school students from the Napa Valley area, and launched a new collaboration with the Lodi Appellation Inclusion Collective. Additionally, our undergraduate advisor Liz and the team did a phenomenal job encouraging admitted students to enroll at Aggie Day and Picnic Day.

In her new book, Real Food, Real Facts: Processed Food and the Politics of Knowledge, Charlotte Biltekoff explores friction between the U.S. public and food industry marketers when it comes to food processing. 

Biltekoff, who has a joint appointment in the Department of Food Science and Technology and Department of American Studies at UC Davis, straddles these two worlds — the food industry and cultural studies. 

During the fall quarter, our outreach and communications team had an incredible experience visiting over 12 community colleges and high schools to attend college fair events. Alejandra engaged with future students, sharing the amazing opportunities in the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology (V & E). On these trips, our team brought new marketing material tailored for our different audiences that helped outline the major requirements and career opportunities.

On November 4-5 local time, the "2024 International Symposium on Alcohol Science and Culture," co-hosted by Jiangnan University and the University of California, Davis, took place at UC Davis. Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Jiangnan University, Professor Wei Chen, along with UC Davis Vice Provost of Global Affairs, Professor Joanna Regulska, attended the opening ceremony as conference co-chairs and delivered keynote speeches.