Food and Wine
“It’s simply the greatest wine library in the world.”
— Hugh Johnson, British wine expert and author of the World Atlas of Wine
One of a Kind: 12th-Century Manuscript on Wine
The earliest wine manuscript in our collections is a 12th-century bifolium from the library of legendary wine merchant and writer André Simon.
The UC Davis Library’s food and wine collections tell the story of California’s global impact and significance in wine, craft beer brewing, organic farming, and cuisine.
Our wine collections support UC Davis’ top-ranked viticulture and enology program — and visiting scholars from around the world — with 30,000 books in more than 50 languages, rare books and manuscripts, historic records and research data, the papers of leading writers on California wine, and materials in every medium, from vintage wine labels to videos.
Our growing collections on the Northern California Food Movement document the rise and influence of organic and biodynamic farming, the farm-to-table and slow food movements, and farmers’ markets and artisanal food making as elements of California cuisine. We also collect and celebrate the contributions of women and diverse communities in elevating organic agriculture, wine, craft-beer brewing, food and cuisine.
Thinking Food at the Intersections
Funded by the Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminars, Thinking Food is a year-long initiative that unearths the systemic roots of food inequity through humanities-based programs. Join us in the 2024-2025 academic year for scholarly conversations, cultural programming and quarterly colloquia.
Spurrier-Winiarski Wine Writer-in-Residence Award
Created in recognition of Steven Spurrier and Warren Winiarski, this $50,000 award supports research, writing, and publication of a long-form project that offers a new perspective on the UC Davis Library’s wine writing collection. 2025 application period opening soon.
Wine Label Collections
The Archives and Special Collections Department holds a vast number of historical wine labels from around the world. These resources can inspire storytelling through the artistry of design by providing historical background, visual history, and examples of changes to wine label design over time.
Savor: Lectures on Food and Wine
Join us for quarterly conversations with experts, thought leaders, policy makers and entrepreneurs that illuminate some of the biggest topics in food and wine being studied at UC Davis today. Co-hosted with UC Davis’ Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.
Wine Writer Collections
Wine writers have made a tremendous impact on both the industry and public appreciation of wine. With support from Napa winemaker and philanthropist Warren Winiarski, we aspire to create the greatest collection on wine writers in the world.
Our collections are available for use by UC Davis faculty, researchers and students, as well as visiting scholars and members of the public.
In-Person Research or Class Visits
- Contact Archives and Special Collections to plan a visit.
Manuscript Subject Areas
Wine Writers Collection (video playlist)
Filled with insight — and laughs — this series of conversations with some of the world’s top wine writers is something you won’t want to miss. Watch them here.
Learn Winemaking from UC Davis Greats (video playlist)
These videos from UC Davis’ 1973-74 viticulture and enology curriculum provide a unique window into the history of winemaking, as well as pearls of wisdom that continue to guide some of the world’s best winemakers today. Thanks to E&J Gallo Winery and the Napa Valley Wine Library Association for supporting the digitization of this video archive.
Meet Historic Wine Influencer: Maynard Amerine
Scientist, scholar, teacher and author, he was one of the world’s foremost authorities on grape growing and wine making.
