This Summer, the Department of Viticulture & Enology attended and held several outreach events.
We attended two events hosted by the Napa Farmworker Foundation.
Attendees visit the UC Davis V&E table at Dia de la Familia On July 21st, members of the Department tabled at the Dia De La Familia Celebration. We met families and high school students, answered questions about our programs, enjoyed the music and traditional dances, and tried to inspire the next generation of vineyard managers and winemakers!
On August 2nd, Director of Industry Relations, Karen Block, presented to students in the Fields of Opportunity Program in Napa about different paths to college, which colleges in California provide programs in Viticulture and Enology, and the different career paths available with a degree in Viticulture and Enology. Fields of Opportunity is an eight-week program, which gathers a diverse group of Napa County high school students, many with vineyard ties. Students come from different academic backgrounds and are guided by mentors in skill-building, self-investment, expanding their perspectives, and dreaming big. The program has had a significant positive impact on students’ life trajectories, helping them recognize a viable career path that includes a financially sustainable and brighter future.
In August, the UC Davis Department of Viticulture & Enology hosted two immersive events where attendees were able to learn more about viticulture and enology at UC Davis through hands-on experiences.
The Diversity of Wine Academy, funded by a grant from the Gérard Basset Foundation, was attended by students and faculty from 10 different community colleges and academic institutions.
Throughout the day, attendees received hands-on experiences in the vineyard and winery on topics including: vine physiology, varieties of grapes in the vineyard, ampelography, and the impact of climate, soil, and viticultural practices on vines and grapes. They had the opportunity to crush, destem and press grapes, and learn about the process that happens during each yearly harvest. They were introduced to sensory evaluation of wine where they learned to distinguish between sweet, bitter and sour, used their sense of smell to try and identify sensory standards, and tasted jelly beans to try and determine flavors. Because the attendees were community college students and not everyone was over the age of 21, we adapted our usual sensory evaluation lesson so that no wine tasting was involved. Some of the attendees are considering transferring to UC Davis and this program exposed them to what a day in the life of a student might look like here on campus.
The following week, we hosted the Viticulture & Enology Bootcamp. This bootcamp, funded by a donation from Executive Leadership Board Member Dwyane Wade and Mission Athletecare, took place in 2022 and 2023, but the previous attendees were social media influencers in the wine and food space. This year, in an effort to develop relationships and build connections with Historically Black Community Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), we invited faculty from agricultural, science, and hospitality programs at these institutions to come to UC Davis to learn more about our programs.
The program was very similar to the Diversity of Wine Academy, and featured the same experiences in the vineyard and winery, however, attendees were also able to evaluate the sensory properties of wine, and additional content included sustainable winemaking, fermentation, the influence of terroir and climate, and a visit to the UC Davis Shields Library’s Special Collections, which is home to over 30,000 books on wine. Bootcamp attendees had the opportunity to cook dinner together in a cooking experience led by PLAYTE Kitchen, and then enjoyed dinner paired with wines.
On the final day of the program, the attendees went to Napa for tours and tastings. At Burgess Cellars, President & CEO Carlton McCoy joined the group for lunch; at Lobo Wines, Winemaker & UC Davis V & E alum Victoria Coleman talked about her path into the wine industry and experience at UC Davis, and at Prisoner Wine Company, UC Davis V&E ELB Member & VP of Winemaking at Constellation Brands, Stephanie Edge, helped to put together a panel of women who discussed their careers in the wine industry. The event ended with a dim sum dinner and wine pairing at Prisoner.
