Viticulture and Enology

In Vino Analytica Scientia 2024 Conference

The 13th In Vino Analytica Scientia (IVAS) Conference was held in Davis, California, July 9-12, 2024. The conference featured an opening plenary lecture by Dr. Fulvio Mattivi of the Edmund Mach Foundation, Michele all’Adige, Italy. Keynote speakers and submitted oral and poster presentations covered six conference themes:

Spring 2024 Extension Update

The Extension team started off the first half of 2024 at the Unified Symposium on January 24 and 25.  The Department had a booth, where we got to meet with a lot of attendees, and hosted our annual reception, where we got to catch up with many alumni and friends! We also announced our new department chair, Ben Montpetit! 

Research Profile: Block Lab

The Block lab is working in several areas related to wine.  First, we are continuing our work with the Oberholster lab trying to gain a deeper understanding of phenolic extraction in red wines to be able to control the finished wine phenolic profile more efficiently.  Over the last decade, we have examined the impact of cap and juice temperature on phenolic extraction, as well as the impact of cap management (also in conjunction with E. & J.

Course Profile: VEN 126

The Physical and Chemical Stability of Wine (a.k.a. VEN 126 Wine Stability) course deals with the most important physical, chemical, and enzymatic reactions in juices and wines, together with the theory and principles associated with the adjustment of acidity, fining, stabilization for shipping, and the clarification of wines.  The course provides students with a scientific basis and a quantitative perspective of our understanding of the physical and chemical reactions in wines, other than ethanol and malolactic fermentations.  

Student Profile: Justin Ito

Student standing: Freshman/Sophomore/Junior/Senior/Graduate etc. 
2nd-year master's degree student 

Degree/Focus/interest areas: 
Viticulture and Enology 

Where are you from originally? 
Los Angeles, CA 

What brought you to UC Davis? 
I knew I wanted to learn everything there is to know about wine and Davis is the best place to start! The program is well-rounded, and I love learning about the reasoning behind important decisions in the winery.  

Ben Montpetit New Viticulture and Enology Chair

Montpetit to Focus on New Educational Offerings, Diversity and Investment

Ben Montpetit, a yeast geneticist and biochemist, is the new chair of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis.

Montpetit joined UC Davis in 2016 and became department vice chair in 2021.

In his new role, he plans to enhance student offerings, continue to advance diversity efforts and foster investment in students, faculty, staff and department operations.

Contest: Design a label for the launch of Hilgard631's wine

The Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis has almost completed the process of becoming licensed to sell wine and will do so under the entity Hilgard631. 

We invite all current undergraduate and graduate UC Davis students, as well as the Department of Viticulture and Enology faculty and staff, to take part in an exciting contest to help design the labels for these bottles. 
 

Contest Details, Rules and Deadlines

1. You may submit a design for one of the three options: