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.  

This course was developed and taught as Wine Processing and Stability by Prof. Harold Berg, then by Prof. Roger Boulton.  It has been a pleasure to host former students of theirs, including David Ramey, Paul Hobbs, and Scott McLeod, as guest lecturers, to help students connect concepts learned in this class with commercial applications and examples. 

Paul Hobbs highlighted observations and lessons learned from his California, New York, and international experiences. Throughout his career, he has used the fundamental knowledge he obtained at UC Davis regarding the chemical and physical properties of wine to produce wines from very different growing regions. 

David Ramey shared numerous experiences with and examples of decision points in winemaking from the time that the fruit arrives at the cellar to when the wines are placed into bottles that enable him to craft the wines he offers to his customers. The fundamental chemical and physical aspects of wine stability, such as those that students learn in VEN 126, have informed the decisions he makes to craft the various wines that he has made throughout his career. 

We appreciate Scott McLeod for taking time to return to the classroom to share his experiences and understanding of wine color and stability.  The fundamental chemical and physical aspects of wine color development and stability, such as those that students learn in VEN 126, have been the foundation for the guidance that he provides to his clients in the face of vintage-to-vintage variability in growing conditions.  

Students are also able to complement the lecture course with a laboratory, VEN 126L, in which they gain hands-on experience in assessing wines for bitartrate stability, protein stability, wine color stability, and filtration outcomes.