Viticulture and Enology | BFTV Cluster News

Spring 2023 Extension Summary

The UC Davis Viticulture and Enology Extension Team has been quite active since January. We hosted a booth in the exhibit hall at the Unified Symposium in Sacramento (January 25 and 26, 2023) and a reception at the Hyatt for alumni, students, faculty, and friends on the Wednesday evening of the Unified Symposium in Sacramento (January 25, 2023). It was so great to visit with everyone that stopped by the booth or attended the reception!

Awards and Announcements

Viticulture and Enology

Katie Calhoun was recently elected to the Executive Leadership Board (ELB) of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis. Katie (pronounced “Kah-tee”), who has over 30 years of PR expertise, is president of Calhoun & Company Communications and has devoted her entire career to the wine and spirits industry.

Research Profile: Andrew McElrone

Viticulture and Enology

Andrew McElrone is a Research Plant Physiologist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis. He originally hails from the east coast, completed his graduate training at the University of Maryland, and a post-doctoral fellowship at Duke University. Prior to coming to Davis in 2006, Andrew previously held a position as an Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Science at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

Alumni Profile: Jessica Tomei

Viticulture and Enology

Year and degree of graduation
2001 with a BS in Viticulture & Enology and a BA in Spanish

Current job title/company
Vice President, Winemaking, The Wine Group

What have you been up to since you graduated?
I have worked around the globe (Italy and Chile) and throughout California. I have worked in various parts of the industry including winemaking, sales, marketing, importing and logistics.

Student Profile: Allison Badar

Viticulture and Enology

Student Standing: Freshman/Sophomore/Junior/Senior/Graduate etc.
Second-year Graduate Student

Degree/Focus/interest areas:
My research is focused on the remediation of smoke impact in wine, and I am working in the Oberholster Lab. I am using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers to remove Volatile Phenols from wine as a treatment option for wildfire smoke impact.

Course Profile: VEN 111 – Wines of the World

Viticulture and Enology

Each Spring Quarter, either Dr. Hildegarde Heymann or Dr. Sue Ebeler teach VEN 111 and VEN 111L, essentially Grapes and Wines of the World. This course, which includes wine tasting, is a survey of some of the world’s wine-producing regions and their respective wine styles.

Winter 2023 Extension Update

Viticulture and Enology

The extension team in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis was so happy to finally be able to honor Roger Boulton for his years of service to the university and the wine industry on November 7, 2022. We had close to 200 people in attendance (in person and virtually) at the UC Davis Conference Center. Ted Rieger wrote a great summary of the day which can be found here.

Harvest 2022 in the Department of Viticulture and Enology LEED Platinum Teaching and Research Winery

Viticulture and Enology

Every harvest comes with unique opportunities and challenges. This year we were happy that we were not affected by wildfires, and there was minimal impact from the pandemic. On the other hand, one of the main challenges was the heat wave, but we managed and were able to produce interesting wines.

Awards and Announcements

Viticulture and Enology

Luis Diaz-Garcia, Assistant Professor, has been named a CAMPOS Faculty Scholar for 2022-23. The Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science (CAMPOS) was established in 2012 to expand the presence of women and underrepresented faculty in STEM at UC Davis. CAMPOS Faculty Scholars have a clearly articulated vision of how their work at UC Davis will contribute to the University’s mission of serving the needs of the diverse student population which closely reflects the population of the state of California.

Alumni Profile: Celia Welch

Viticulture and Enology

Year and degree of graduation:
I graduated in 1982 with a BS in Fermentation Science. In those days, winemaking and viticulture were considered separate disciplines. Many of the winemakers took the general viticulture class (as I did) but the two areas of study were considered separate disciplines.

Current job title/company
My current title is Owner/Winemaker at Celia Welch Consulting.