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. Our conversations during the conference reinforce V&E’s partnership with the industry and the vital roles education and research have in shaping the future of the wine and grape industries.
On the Wednesday evening of Unified (January 29), we, along with our partners, took a new approach to the Unified receptions. We truly “unified” with CSU Fresno and Washington State University to host a Unified V&E Reception. We specifically included other academic institutions across the United States with V and E programs (in addition to industry members) on our invite list to create a community of people with similar interests. A big thank you goes to The Wine Group for supporting the event and the department chairs Jean Dodson Peterson (WSU), Sonet Van Zyl (CSU Fresno), and Ben Montpetit (UC Davis) for making this possible. More than 200 friends, alumni, students, faculty, and industry partners stopped by; we even had a special guest Dusty Baker (Partner and Grower, Baker Family Wines) make an appearance. The “Unified” Academic Reception will be back again in 2026; we hope to see you there!
