Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis

10/29/2026

Travel with UC Davis V&E to Japan! Master's students Kayli and Delaney visited Niigata University to study at their Sakeology Center!

How long were you at Niigata Summer School?
"Three packed days (Sept 8-10) at Niigata University’s Sakeology Center, with days running from about 8:20am to 8pm and ending in a closing dinner. I stayed a few extra days to see more of Japan, so 10 days total."
-Kayli, M.S. `28
I attended the summer school at Niigata University’s Sakeology Center for three days in early September! I spent about two weeks in Japan overall, which gave me time to explore before and after the program.
-Delaney, M.S. `27

What did you learn on the trip?
"Sake brewing is multiple parallel fermentation. Enzymes from koji mold break rice starch into sugar while yeast ferments that sugar in the same tank, at the same time. W**emakers get a head start because the sugar is already in the grape, so sake is a completely different puzzle. I also learned that UC Davis and the University of Bordeaux helped inspire Niigata’s brewing program, which made the whole summer school a three-way exchange."
-Kayli
"The Sakeology program covered everything from sake production and its roots in Japanese tradition to research exploring how sake byproducts could support human health! We also heard from UC Davis and University of Bordeaux faculty about the history and significance of the w**e industry, w**e microbiology, and brewing science."
-Delaney

What did you find most interesting about sake?
"Koji. I come from baking and w**e, where Saccharomyces cerevisiae gets all the credit, so it was fascinating to study a completely different fungus doing the heavy lifting of converting starch into flavor (and alcohol)."
-Kayli
"I found it fascinating how nearly every production decision can influence sake’s flavors, aromas, and texture. W**e is similar in that way, but the sensory qualities valued in sake can be quite different, which changes how producers approach those decisions. I also loved learning how deeply sake is rooted in Japanese culture and how it brings people together, both in Japan and around the world"
-Delaney

10/29/2026

Join us on December 9th for "On the Road in Santa Barbara County” at Firestone Vineyard in Los Olivos.

Learn about vineyard pest and disease management, no- and low-alcohol w**e production, early vine development, California agave, the future of AI in grape production, and more. Connect with UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension experts and fellow grape growing and w**emaking professionals.

Register today to guarantee your spot. Capacity is limited.

https://w**e.ucdavis.edu/events/road-santa-barbara-county-0

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Image Description: Grapes in the background with text from the caption.

On The Road programs are educational seminars that help us to communicate with the California grape and w**e industries by bringing faculty to different regions of California.

10/27/2026

This month, the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences honored our very own Guillermo Garcia Zamora and our dear friend Marvin Shanken of W**e Spectator at its biennial Awards of Distinction celebration.

Guillermo received the Early Career Alumni award, and Marvin was recognized as a Distinguished Friend of the College. These honors recognize their outstanding contributions to the Department of Viticulture and Enology and the college.

Close friends and family joined in the evening’s celebrations, along with former W**e Spectator Scholars who attended in appreciation of the scholarship support they received during their education at UC Davis. Dr. David Block received the award on behalf of Marvin.

Image Description: Guillermo giving a speech at a podium.
Image Description: Dean Ashley presenting Guillermo with the award.
Image Description: Dr. Block and Dean Ashley smiling at the camera with Marvin's award.
Image Description: Guillermo smiling at the camera while Dean Ashley presents the award.
Image Description: Dr. Block posing with Dr. Andy Waterhouse, Michael Silacci, Rebekah W**eburg, Jeff Mangahas, Celia Welch, and Guillermo.

**ery **ery **ery

📸 : Jael

10/20/2026

Follow along with the Davis Enology and Viticulture Organization (DEVO) on one of their many immersion trips! Our students enjoyed learning about **e and their sustainability practices as well as catching up with UC Davis V&E alumna.

**e **emaking

10/19/2026

Meet our w**emaker, Leticia Chacón-Rodríguez! Becoming a w**emaker is just one of the many career paths open to V&E students.

What does a w**emaker do?
Every harvest, I witness a remarkable transformation as grapes become w**e. No two vintages are ever the same, and no matter how much experience I gain, Mother Nature always has something new to teach us. As harvest approaches, we taste grapes and measure sugar and acidity to determine the ideal time to pick. I coordinate fruit deliveries with the vineyard team and work closely with our w**ery staff, researchers, and professors to make important w**emaking decisions, from processing methods to yeast selection. Then fermentation begins, bringing the excitement of watching the grapes evolve and tasting the w**es as they develop. Once fermentation is complete, we move into the next stages of blending, stabilization, and aging, with some w**es continuing all the way to bottling.

“As the w**emaker at UC Davis, I bring together science, artistry, and teamwork to create w**es that express their terroir. Alongside my dedicated staff, I also have the privilege of sharing the excitement of discovery with a new generation of students each year.”

What is the best part about being a w**emaker?
One of the most rewarding parts of my role is witnessing the moment when a student discovers something new. I experience that excitement throughout the season as grapes arrive, fermentations begin, and students connect what they have learned in the classroom with what is happening in the cellar. I especially enjoy tasting w**es in fermentation with students and hearing their observations about the aromas and flavors as they develop. Their fresh perspectives are often surprisingly intuitive, reminding me that learning goes both ways. Together, we turn fruit into w**e, guided by science, shaped by nature, and inspired
by curiosity.

Stay tuned for more insight on how UC Davis V&E is shaping the future of w**e through our series!

10/15/2026

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Arran Rumbaugh to the team as the Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension in Enology.

“I'm excited to be here. I feel very proud that I can be able to honor Anita's legacy and carry out her work and as well as my own program.”

Read more about Dr. Rumbaugh’s commitment to research and her vision translating w**emaking science into practical applications for w**emakers: https://www.w**ebusiness.com/news/article/324250

Stay tuned for more about Dr. Rumbaugh’s work with red blotch and smoke taint as we start sharing faculty research spotlights!

W**e Industry People News Article

10/13/2026

Take a peek at what our viticulture and enology (V&E) students have been up to in VEN 124L: W**e Production Laboratory! 🍇

Want to make w**e your career? UC Davis offers V&E as a major, minor, and Master’s program. Explore more by visiting our website at w**e.ucdavis.edu.

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UC Davis

📸 : Gregory M Urquiaga

Image Description:
1. Students gather around two bins of freshly picked grapes, with a forklift behind them.
2. Students in safety glasses taste and examine bins of harvested white grapes.
3. Students peer into the top of a stainless steel tank.
4. Someone explains w**ery presses to a circle of students.
5. Two students connect a fitting on a press while classmates watch.
6. Students on a catwalk look over an open fermentation tank.
7. A person holds up a jar of cloudy golden juice while students take notes.
8. A person sets up juice samples and tasting glasses as students look on.
9. Two students chat in class, one holding a glass of white w**e.

10/05/2026

This past summer, the Davis Enology and Viticulture Organization (DEVO) traveled to vineyards and w**eries in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. Second-year master’s student Jonathan shares some highlights from the trip.

Check out to learn more about the organization and all the fun trips they take throughout the year. You don't need to be a Viticulture & Enology student to join!

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Image Description 1: Jonathan and classmate standing on coast
Image Description 2: Jonathan and classmates standing in front of a castle in Croatia.
Image Description 3: The ocean and coastline.
Image Description 4: A cove with bright blue water and sand.
Image Description 5: W**e Barrels in a room.
Image Description 6: Vineyard with DEVO members standing on the path.
Image Description 7: Students observing and standing near w**e barrels.
Image Description 8: Two students drinking coffee.
Image Description 9: Students at a w**ery looking at w**e glasses.

09/30/2026

For more than 60 years, two of UC Davis’ most important microbiology collections have lived in separate departments. Thanks to support from the American Vineyard Foundation and Washington State W**e Commission, they’re finally coming back together.

The UC Davis Viticulture & Enology W**e Microbe Collection, home to more than 3,300 strains of yeast, bacteria, and fungi, is merging with the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection to create a single searchable resource of more than 13,000 strains. This unified collection will support researchers, w**eries, and industry partners around the world.

What makes this project especially exciting is the history behind it. The collections include strains that helped rebuild California’s w**e industry after Prohibition and represent an extraordinary legacy of microbial diversity. At the same time, they continue to drive innovation in w**emaking, brewing, sake production, and biofuel research.

Congratulations to our faculty, staff, and supporters for preserving more than a century of microbial history while creating new opportunities for discovery and innovation.

Read more in our Fall newsletter: https://w**e.ucdavis.edu/about/news-events/department-news #/news/f6e05978-d045-4705-a68c-79bfa4debf0d