Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science

Coming up this Saturday, April 18, is the 112th UC Davis Picnic Day! Come visit the Robert Mondavi Institute for a day full of ice cream tasting, winery tours, learning about dark green juice and lima beans, grapevine giveaways, olive oil tastings and more.

Picnic Day 2026 Picnic Day at UC Davis is filled with activities, Aggie Pride, and a campus full of students, families, and community members.

🍷 May 16: UC Davis Alumni WINE Showcase 🍷

Tickets at the link in our bio or here: https://rmi.ucdavis.edu/events/uc-davis-alumni-wine-showcase-2026

With more than 20 participants, you’ll be able to taste student-made wines and offerings from select UC Davis alumni winemakers and wineries like Paul Hobbs Wine, Honig Vineyard & Winery, Williams Selyem, Andis Wines and many more. Early bird pricing ends May 1.

UC Davis Alumni Wine Showcase 2026 The UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology (V&E) is world-renowned, with many Cal Aggie Alumni working throughout the wine industry. Join us for an alumni wine showcase to sample wines from select alumni winemakers and wineries.

Join us on May 11 for an evening with renowned certified sommelier and Wine Enthusiast 40 under 40 tastemaker, Cha McCoy, as she shares her new book, "Wine Pairing for the People", a first-of-its-kind guide to inclusive wine pairing that challenges conventional wisdom by pairing wines with the rich, diverse cuisines of the world.

https://rmi.ucdavis.edu/events/wine-pairing-people-evening-cha-mccoy

Cha Squared Project

Wine Pairing for the People, An Evening with Cha McCoy Join us for an evening with renowned certified sommelier and Wine Enthusiast 40 under 40 tastemaker, Cha McCoy, as she shares her new book, Wine Pairing for the People, a first-of-its-kind guide to inclusive wine pairing that challenges conventional wisd

✨ You’re invited: Join Harvard and UC Davis for Vine to Mind 2026, a symposium to explore how wine, data science, and AI are shaping the global wine industry.

The program features keynote conversations with Karen MacNeil, Michael Mondavi, and Christine Wente, alongside sessions with industry icons including Orley Ashenfelter, Eric Asimov, Jing Cao, Felicity Carter, Xiao-Li Meng, Ben Montpetit, and more — bringing together voices from winemaking, economics, data science, and wine media.

📍 University of California, Davis
📅 May 18–21, 2026

What to expect:
🍷 May 18 – Judgment of Davis Wine Tasting Event and Opening Reception
📈 May 19 – 50 Years of Changes in Wine Perception and Demand
🤖 May 20 – The Next 50 Years: Wine, Technology, and Innovation
🍇 May 21 – Immersive Napa Valley Wine Experience

🔗 Learn more and register: https://www.vinetomind.org/register

This program is co-organized by the Harvard Data Science Initiative and the Departments of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Viticulture & Enology at UC Davis, with support from the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.

Register | Vine to Mind World-class keynotes & panel discussions Interactive breakout sessions & experiential learning AI vs. human competitions on wine innovation and wine evaluations Exclusive wine-tasting and networking opportunities

👉 Secure Preferred Pricing: Join Harvard and UC Davis for Vine to Mind 2026, a symposium to explore how wine, data science, and AI are shaping the global wine industry.

The program features keynote conversations with Karen MacNeil, Michael Mondavi, and Christine Wente, alongside sessions with industry icons including Orley Ashenfelter, Eric Asimov, Jing Cao, Felicity Carter, Xiao-Li Meng, Ben Montpetit, and more — bringing together voices from winemaking, economics, data science, and wine media.

📍 University of California, Davis
📅 May 18–21, 2026
What to expect:
🍷 May 18 – Judgment of Davis Wine Tasting Event and Opening Reception
📈 May 19 – 50 Years of Changes in Wine Perception and Demand
🤖 May 20 – The Next 50 Years: Wine, Technology, and Innovation
🍇 May 21 – Immersive Napa Valley Wine Experience

🔗 Learn more and register: https://www.vinetomind.org/

This program is co-organized by the Harvard Data Science Initiative and the Departments of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Viticulture & Enology at UC Davis, with support from the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.

UC Davis | Harvard Data Science Initiative | Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science | College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, UC Davis

Join us on February 28 at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis for an afternoon of art, communal bread breaking, and stimulating conversations aimed at inspiring action toward a more just, resilient and empathetic world. Anchored by the exhibition Sahar Khoury: Weights & Measures, the program weaves together intimate discussions with people as books in a Human Library, and dialogue and za’atar making with award-winning Syrian-Palestinian chef and community organizer Reem Assil and Charlotte Biltekoff, the UC Davis Darrell Corti Endowed Professor in Food, Wine and Culture. Guests will also enjoy guided tastings, hands-on activities with UC Davis cultural and agricultural community resources, gallery experiences, and art making. You can also try the newest Olio Nuovo olive oil from the UC Davis Olive Center starting at 1:30 pm until supplies run out. The event is free to the public.

Programs Winter 2026 ProgramsAll programs are in person at the museum unless otherwise noted.

Only a few tickets remain for Savor: Coffee Unfiltered, Thinking Outside the Cup on January 28.

Speakers include:

JERRY BALDWIN, co-founder and former president of Starbucks Coffee and former president of Peet's Coffee

ELIANA COSSIO, Vice President of Global R&D at Westrock Coffee Company

PETER GIULIANO, chief research officer of the Specialty Coffee Association and executive director of the Coffee Science Foundation

RUSS KRAMER, president of La Minita Coffee

BILL RISTENPART, professor of Chemical Engineering and founding director of the UC Davis Coffee Center

Presented in partnership with the UC Davis Library

Coffee Unfiltered: Thinking Outside the Cup For an estimated two-thirds of Americans, coffee is a daily ritual, but the factors that bring this universal drink into consumers’ cups are anything but single-origin.

Join us on February 4 for a special wine tasting on the chemistry of distinctive wines, featuring Professor Emeritus Andrew Waterhouse and Assistant Professor Liang Chen with the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis.

The Chemistry of Distinctive Wines Discover how winemakers create distinctive wines, such as sherry, aged oak Chardonnay, or New Zealand-style Sauvignon Blanc. We will taste six wines and reveal the chemical compounds responsible for their distinctive flavors as well as the grape varieties or winemaking practices that p

Join us as we dive into coffee!

The Savor lecture series is back for winter quarter and brewing with insight! ☕️ Join us on January 28:

Savor: Coffee Unfiltered — Thinking Outside the Cup
Wednesday, January 28
5–7:30 PM
Robert Mondavi Institute, Sensory Theater
Register: https://buff.ly/h2ACdsD

Whether you're new to the perfect pour or an advanced-level caffeinado, this panel discussion on the complex factors transforming coffee culture in the United States will perk you right up! Featuring industry experts:

☕️ Jerry Baldwin, co-founder of Starbucks and former president of Peet's Coffee
☕️ Russ Kramer, president of Hacienda La Minita
🎤 Moderated by Bill Ristenpart, director of the UC Davis Coffee Center

Attendees will also enjoy a welcome reception and a pop-up exhibit from our Archives and Special Collections.

You might prefer your coffee iced, but don't let this invite get cold — seats are limited. $25/person ($15/students).
👉 Learn more and register: https://buff.ly/h2ACdsD

The Savor lecture series is a collaboration between the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science and the UC Davis Library.

Image description:
A small white cup of coffee with a foam heart design next to three staggered bags of Aggie Blend medium roast whole bean coffee, with illustration of a steaming coffee cup and saucer in foreground and a tree and Unitrans double-decker bus in the background.