Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Harold W. Berg Papers
- Dates:
- 1894-1983
- Creators:
- Abstract:
- The Harold W. Berg Papers document Berg's activities as a Professor of Viticulture and Enology at University of California, Davis, highly regarded wine chemist, and co-author (with Maynard Amerine) of The Technology of Wine Making.
- Extent:
- 5.1 linear feet
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Harold W. Berg Papers, D-324, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains materials from 1894-1983, including correspondence, photographs, department minutes, lab manuals, newsletters, bulletins, and articles.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Harold W. Berg was a chemist, winemaker, and an associate specialist of enology and viticulture at UC Davis. Berg was born in Macleay, Oregon on June 16, 1909. He attended Oregon State College and earned his bachelor of science (1932) and his master of science in chemical engineering (1934). Following his education in Oregon, Berg moved to California. Berg’s first job was as a wine chemist with the California Grape Products Company located in Elk Grove. For the next fifteen years Berg was a winemaker and manager for several wineries in California, a majority of that time with the Lodi Winery. In September 1949, he shifted toward the academic world and became an associate specialist for the University of California, Davis, Department of Viticulture and Enology at the Experimental Station. Berg utilized his practical knowledge of the wine industry along with his academic training in chemistry to assist in numerous projects and experiments. In 1960, Berg was promoted to professor of enology and in 1966 became the department chair until his retirement in 1973. Throughout his career, Berg published 88 works, including contributing to three editions of Technology of Winemaking, which was considered the main English-language reference for technical information regarding all aspects of winemaking. A main focus of his work was researching protein stability, and Berg and his research associate Minoru Akiyoshi’s work still contributes to scientific understanding of potassium bitartrate solubility, oxidative browning, and color extraction from red grapes. Akiyoshi also assisted Berg in developing the trichloroacetic acid test which is used to assess the protein stability in wine. During his career at UC Davis, Berg took two six-month sabbaticals, during which he visited Israel, Turkey, Greece, Italy, England, South Africa, Australia, Japan, and the Middle East. On a non-sabbatical leave, Berg visited New Zealand. In each country, Berg studied winemaking practices and even helped guide New Zealand’s growing wine industry. Through his domestic and international work, Berg became a highly respected member of the winemaking industry. Over the years, Berg became chair of the Wine Advisory Technical Committee, an observer on the U.S. delegation to the Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials on Wines and Spirits of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France, in 1966, and was one of the charter members of the American Society of Enologists. Due to his academic and practical excellence, Berg was the recipient of multiple awards and recognitions. In 1974, he received the highest recognition that can be bestowed upon a professional enologist, the Merit Award from the American Society of Enologists. Berg held every office available within the organization. Harold W. Berg died on January 19, 1984. After his passing, Berg’s friends and family created the Harold Berg Memorial Fund, an endowment focused on the science of wine and winemaking research, with an emphasis on wine stabilization.
- Processing information:
-
The biography was written by Sacramento State Public History graduate student Tyler Tocci. Michelle Trujillo updated this finding aid in 2026.
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- July 14, 2025, 2:55 p.m.
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:55 p.m.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S Copyright Code. Requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Harold W. Berg Papers, D-324, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Davis, Special Collections, UC Davis Library100 NW QuadDavis, CA 95616-5292, US
- Contact:
- (530) 752-1621