News

Extension & Industry Relations Update: Fall 2026

The Department of Viticulture and Enology co-hosted, along with the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Western SARE, a Climate Resilience in Vineyards Workshop, at the Oakville Station on June 3, 2026. There were presentations on temperature extremes, pests and diseases, water use and drought adaptation, soil health and dry farming, and wildfire and smoke taint. Following the talks there was a Q and A session with the speakers and then attendees broke into groups to discuss what kind of research and other resources would be useful going forward.

Awards & Honors

Viticulture and Enology

Congratulations to Distinguished Professor, David E. Block! He was the recipient of the 2026 American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) Merit Award at the ASEV National Conference in Boise, ID, on June 17-18, 2026. This award recognizes “individuals who have contributed to the progress and advancement of enology or viticulture in an outstanding and distinguished manner for the Society and/or wine industry.” Dr.

Congratulations to the 2026 Graduating Students

Viticulture and Enology

The Department of Viticulture and Enology (V&E) hosted an outdoor graduation celebration for our students receiving their B.S. or M.S. in Viticulture and Enology on Friday, June 12, 2026. Distinguished Professor Emeritus Hildegarde Heymann, who retired this year, delivered a graduation speech, and Department Chair Dr. Ben Montpetit, and graduate and undergraduate advisor, Liz Price, presented the 2026 graduates and citation recipients. Last year’s DEVO president, Dan Kline, announced the 2026 Departmental Teaching Award, which was given to Dr.

Alumni Profile: Cindy Kron

Viticulture and Enology

Year of graduation and degree:

December 2013: B.S. Viticulture & Enology; Minor: Agricultural Pest Management
September 2018: Ph.D., Entomology

Current job title/company:
North Coast Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Advisor/University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources (UC ANR)

Student Profile: Kaylianne Jordan

Viticulture and Enology

Student standing:
I just graduated with my B.S. in Viticulture and Enology, and I am now starting my first year of the master's program.

Degree/Focus/interest areas:
Viticulture and Enology, with a growing interest in how the industry adapts to climate change.

Where are you from originally?
I was born in Vallejo, went to high school in Grass Valley, and then lived in Oakland for six years before moving to Davis.

A Century of California Wine Yeast, Reunited

Viticulture and Enology

UC Davis Awarded Funding to Merge the Viticulture & Enology Wine Microbe Collection with the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection

For more than sixty years, two of the most important libraries of California microbiology have lived in separate departments on the UC Davis campus. Now, thanks to a grant from the American Vineyard Foundation and Washington Wine Commission, they're (re)uniting.

Course Profile: VEN 103 – Commercial Winemaking

Viticulture and Enology

Course Profile: VEN 103 – Commercial Winemaking

Wine production is often described in terms of grapes, fermentation, and aging, but producing wine on a commercial scale involves much more than just making a good wine. Winemakers and winery business leaders must make decisions about equipment, production volumes, costs, timing, quality, risk, regulatory requirements, packaging, suppliers, and how a wine will ultimately reach the consumer. Understanding how all of these pieces fit together is essential to managing a successful commercial winery.

Professor Maria Marco Honored with the LABIP Award at 15th Annual Symposium for Lactic Acid Bacteria

Food Science and Technology

The Lactic Acid Bacteria Industrial Platform (LABIP) has awarded Professor Maria Marco, Ph.D., of the University of California, Davis, the prestigious LABIP Award at the 15th Annual Symposium for Lactic Acid Bacteria.

UC Davis Postdoctoral Researcher Receives NIH F32 Fellowship to Study How Milk Components May Influence Cognition Through the Gut Microbiome

Food Science and Technology

UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology postdoctoral researcher Dr. Kasey Schalich has been awarded an NIH F32 fellowship to investigate how a bioactive component of milk may influence cognitive development through the gut microbiome-brain axis. The project, “A bioactive milk component promotes cognition through the gut microbiome-brain axis,” will examine how milk-derived glycoconjugates interact with beneficial gut bacteria and whether these interactions increase the availability of sialic acid, a molecule important for neurodevelopment.

A Century of California Wine Yeast, Reunited

Food Science and Technology

UC Davis Awarded Funding to Merge the Viticulture & Enology Wine Microbe Collection with the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection

For more than sixty years, two of the most important libraries of California microbiology have lived in separate departments on the UC Davis campus. Now, thanks to a grant from the American Vineyard Foundation and Washington State Wine Commission, they're (re)uniting.

Nitin Nitin's food spoilage control work highlighted in The Scientist

Food Science and Technology

In today’s world, food hunger and insecurity are not due to lack of food. Right now, the world produces enough food to feed every adult and child currently alive on the planet.

Head-and-shoulders portrait of an older smiling man with gray hair and mustache, wearing blue shirt

Remembering Walt Klenz

Viticulture and Enology

A champion of the wine industry and a longtime RMI supporter

We are deeply saddened to share that Walter “Walt” Klenz passed away peacefully on July 20, 2026 at the age of 81. He was a champion of the wine industry and a longtime supporter of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. Our thoughts are with his wife, Sylvia, and their family during this time.

Walt Klenz at a Klenz lecture in 2020

UC Davis takes second place at 41st Annual IFT College Bowl

Food Science and Technology

What do cereal mascots and atomic absorption spectroscopy have in common? Both are fair game in the annual College Bowl Competition hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association, or IFTSA. Started in 1985, College Bowl is a team-based quiz competition about food science spanning universities throughout the United States and Canada.

Interview with Carl Winter, Professor of Cooperative Extension Emeritus in Food Science and Technology

Food Science and Technology

This interview is with Carl Winter, Professor of Cooperative Extension Emeritus in the Department of Food Science and Technology. He was appointed in 1991 and retired in 2019.

That Avocado Oil Chip You’re Eating May Not Be Made With Pure Avocado Oil

Food Science and Technology

If you've been reaching for chips, mayonnaise or salad dressing labeled "made with avocado oil," there's a good chance the oil inside isn't pure avocado oil, despite it being the only listed oil ingredient. University of California, Davis, researchers tested processed foods marketed as containing avocado oil. They found 48 of the 54 avocado oil-labeled products were adulterated with cheaper oils. The study was published in Applied Food Research.

Latest News