Harvest 2023 came with unique opportunities, challenges, and excitement. We experienced cooler weather overall compared to previous years, so harvest started three weeks later than usual in our winery. This led to a compressed harvest that overlapped with Fall quarter courses, so we needed to juggle more activities in a shorter period of time.  

We processed almost 70 tons of grapes, produced whites with good aroma intensity, and reds with deep color and balanced mouthfeel. We enjoyed seeing students and researchers from multiple departments: Viticulture and Enology, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Food Science & Technology, as well as industry partners. At the end of harvest, we had 233 lots (including older vintages) in over 320 different vessels. 

As always, the best part is getting to see the interns grow and learn throughout harvest and witness students express engagement through their enthusiasm to be at the winery. They are a fundamental part of our team, and the winery could not operate without their help. We also appreciate the dedication, enthusiasm, and support from faculty and staff. 

From a sustainability standpoint, this year we composted 100% of the winery pomace and diverted over 1,400 gallons of rinse water and wine lees mix from the sewer system. These outflows were captured and processed at the UCD READ (Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester) to generate renewable electricity. 

Looking forward to this coming year, we have a brand-new Clean-in-Place (CIP) system that will start up soon and we received a donation of a new 20 hL press from Pellenc for which we just finished the training. Thank you to Pellenc for the donation! 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of Harvest 2023! 

The Winery Team