![Students receiving grapes on the California State University, Fresno, sorting line. Students receiving grapes on the California State University, Fresno, sorting line.](/sites/g/files/dgvnsk1131/files/styles/sf_landscape_16x9/public/images/article/wineink-swift-032816-1-1240x930.jpg?h=f11661b6&itok=cOFBvxXN)
While not as old as Harvard, the viticulture program at the University of California has surprisingly deep roots. In 1880, the California Legislature recognized the potential of the state as a world-class wine-growing region and mandated a program be established "providing for instruction and research in viticulture and enology."