Department of Viticulture and Enology Records, 1907-2006

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Summary

Creators:
University of California, Davis. Department of Viticulture and Enology
Abstract:
On April 15, 1880, the California Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 374 providing for the special instruction "pertaining to Viticulture and the theory and practice of fermentation, distillation and rectification, and the management of cellars" in the University of California, Berkeley Department of Agriculture. The Department of Viticulture and Enology was established on the Davis campus in 1935 following the repeal of prohibition. The records contain correspondence, budget and expense files, travel receipts, construction and repair requisitions, meeting minutes (department, division, staff, and committee), building plans, class materials, research projects and grants, vineyard reports, extension reports, and photographs. The collection materials date from 1907-2006 with the bulk from 1913-1973.
Extent:
87.8 linear feet
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Department of Viticulture and Enology Records, AR-059, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.

Background

Scope and content:

The records of the Department of Viticulture and Enology consist of materials related to the functions of the department at Davis. The collection materials date from 1907-2006 with the bulk from 1913-1973. Prior to 1935, the department operations were centered at Berkeley, with experimental vineyards and instruction in practical grape growing and wine making methods at the University Farm, Davis. The records pertain only to Davis activities.

The collection includes correspondence, budget and expense files, travel receipts, construction and repair requistions, department, division, staff, and committee meetings, building plans, class materials, research projects and grants, vineyard reports, extension reports, reports about other departmental projects, and photographs.

Over half of the collection is composed of correspondence and gives a daily record of department activities from 1913-1929, 1937-1938, 1942-1944, 1960-1966, and 1972-1973. Budget and expense records contain financial data as well as descriptions of staff and faculty positions and planned research projects. The class materials and the research projects and grants series provide summarized information about the course content and research activities of the department.

Biographical / historical:

On April 15, 1880, the California Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 374 providing for the special instruction "pertaining to Viticulture and the theory and practice of fermentation, distillation and rectification, and the management of cellars" in the University of California, Berkeley Department of Agriculture. The Department of Viticulture and Enology was established on the Davis campus in 1935 following the repeal of prohibition.

Departmental Timeline, 1880-1987
Date Event
1880
California Legislature enacts Assembly Bill 374 providing for special instruction "pertaining to Viticulture and the theory and practice of fermentation, distillation and rectification, and the management of cellars" in the UC Berkeley Department of Agriculture.
1887
Viticulture instruction at Berkeley consists of lectures in enology (2 units) and viticulture and olive culture (2 units). Enology laboratory (4 units) added on completion of a viticulture building (Budd Hall).
1889
F. T. Bioletti hired.
1894
Insect research in viticulture develops into new Department of Entomology.
1903
New Department of Plant Pathology takes over grape disease research.
1908
Short courses and practical courses begin at the University Farm in Davis. 30 acres of experimental vineyards are cultivated with a collection of new or rare table and shipping grapes, resistant stocks, and vines.
1909
University of California offers a three-year course to students with a grammar school education. Viticulture is offered as an elective course for third-year students.
1917
Armstrong Ranch, site of experimental vineyards, taken under a long-term lease.
1919
Department of Viticulture established.
National Prohibition begins. Department substitutes fruit processing research for enology research and changes name to Department of Viticulture and Fruit Products.
1921
Junior and Senior students spend one or two semesters at Davis. The Davis faculty consists of Leon Bonnet, A. J. Winkler, and H. E. Jacob. Frederic Bioletti commutes from Berkeley to teach Viticulture 116A and 116B.
1922
Davis adds freshman and sophomores to the curriculum. Campus names changes to the Branch of the College of Agriculture. Department occupies first permanent offices of Horticulture Building.
1930
Bioletti returns from North Africa with Moroccan, Tunisian and Algerian variety of grapes.
1931
University purchases Armstrong Ranch.
1933
National Prohibition ends.
Harold Olmo hired.
1935
Department split with Department of Fruit Products at Berkeley and Department of Viticulture at Davis, with A.J. Winkler as department's Davis head.
Maynard Amerine hired.
Professors Cruess (UCB) and Winkler (UCD) examine research and teaching activities of universities and experiment stations in North Africa and Europe. Cruess develops a winery operations program and Winkler develops a grape cultivation program.
1935-1939
Winkler and Amerine study climatological regions in California's vineyard areas. (Results published in 1944 Hilgardia)
1937
W. O. Williams hired.
1939
Department moves to Enology Building which includes pilot-size winery and wine cellars. John G.B. Castor and James Guymon hired. Castor, a microbiologist, works on the vitamin and amino acid requirements of yeast, and Guymon specializes in the distillation of wine to make brandy and high-proof alcohol.
1940-1941
A publication program, which includes Joslyn and Amerine's dessert wine pamphlet (Commercial Production of Dessert Wines. California Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 651: 1-186), brandy pamphlet (Commercial Production of Brandies. California Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 652: 1-80), and table wine pamphlet (Commercial Production of Table Wines. California Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 639: 1-143), focuses the wine industry on the University as the center of information.
1947
Curtis Alley hired.
1948
A. Dinsmor Webb hired. Webb, with Kepner (Chemistry) analyzes flavor constituents of several components of wine.
Harold P. Olmo introduces Perlette and Delight, two early maturing seedless table grape varieties, and Ruby Cabernet and Emerald Riesling, two table wine grape varieties.
1950
H. W. Berg, K. E. Nelson, R. J. Weaver hired.
1952
Lloyd Lider hired.
Harold P. Olmo institutes an industry grape certification program to help maintain the propagation of clean, disease-free, true-to-type vines.
1954
Name of department changed to Department of Viticulture and Enology.
1955
James Cook hired.
1957
George Marsh (Food Science and Technology) teaches Viticulture 117 (Microbiology of Wine Production).
1958
John Ingraham hired.
1959
Davis becomes a general campus and plans are made to expand the College of Agriculture.
1960
M. A. Amerine with W. V. Cruess publish The Technology of Wine Making (Westport, Conn., Avi Publishing Co.).
Amerine and Ough develop the submerge culture technique (Food Technology, 14(3): 155-159).
Ough and Amerine describe controlled fermentation techniques (California Agriculture 14(9):10).
1962
A. J. Winkler publishes General Viticulture. (Berkeley, University of California Press, 1962)
1963
Vernon Singleton hired. He researches aging and phenolics (tannins) of wines, the oxidation pathways, the mechanisms that control browning reactions, aging in oak barrels, and redwood tanks.
Ralph Kunkee hired. Kunkee studies the biochemical pathways, the natural controlled conditions that speed the activity of bacteria, and the properties of bacteria during malo-lactc fermentation.
1964
Mark W. Kliewer hired. Cornelius Ough promoted to faculty position. Ough evaluates the composition of wine as affected by field treatment and winery treatment.
1965
Amerine, with A. M. Pangborn (Food Science) and E. Roessler (Chemistry) publish Principles of Sensory Evaluation of Food, (New York, Academic Press, 1965).
1966-1969
A. D. Webb and R. E. Kepner (Chemistry) analyze various components that are flavor constituents of wine.
1967
Mechanical grape harvesting machine developed.
1974
Ann Noble hired.
Harold Olmo introduces the Carnelian grape for hot island climates.
1975
Harold Olmo introduces the Centurian, Carmine, and Symphony grape varieties for hot climates.
1976
Roger Boulton and Joseph Lin hired.
1978
W. Robert Logan hired.
1979
Lynn Williams hired. Richard Kepner (Chemistry) and Vito Polito (Pomology) teach in the department.
1980
Carole Meredith hired.
M.A. Amerine and C.S. Ough publish Methods for Analysis of Musts and Wines (New York, Wiley, 1980).
1983
Mark Matthews, Larry Williams hired.
1984
Janice Morrison hired.
1986
Linda Bisson hired.
1987
Michael G. Mullins hired as department chair. Douglas O. Adams hired.
Acquisition information:
The initial group of records was transferred from the Department of Viticulture and Enology in January 1986. Additional accessions were received in subsequent years.
Processing information:

The first twenty boxes were arranged and described by Marcia McCune in a print finding aid completed in March 1989. In 2015, Sara Gunasekara encoded that finding aid. Later accruals to the collection are listed in Series 12, Additional Accessions.

Arrangement:

This collection has two different arrangements which reflect different accessions. The first twenty boxes are described in a finding aid which is arranged in eleven series described below. The additional boxes are described in a pdf document which can be accessed via the "Additional Accessions" link at the bottom of this finding aid.

Arranged into eleven series: 1. Correspondence, 2. Budget and Expenses, 3. Personnel Records, 4. Minutes, 5. Buildings and Equipment, 6. Class and Student Materials, 7. Research Projects and Grants, 8. Vineyard Reports, 9. Extension Reports, 10. Other Departent Projects, and 11. Photographs.

Physical location:
Researchers should contact Archives and Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

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], Department of Viticulture and Enology Records, AR-059, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Davis, Special Collections, UC Davis Library
100 NW Quad
Davis, CA 95616-5292, US
Contact:
(530) 752-1621
speccoll@ucdavis.edu
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