Merry Edwards Digital Collection Chronicles a Legendary Winemaker’s Career
Today (Oct. 28), the UC Davis Library launched a digital collection showcasing highlights from the career of Merry Edwards, a UC Davis alumna and one of California’s pioneering women winemakers. The announcement comes on the heels of last week’s news that Edwards has been named Wine Enthusiast’s 2026 American Wine Legend of the Year.
Scholars, journalists and wine lovers alike can now explore a selection of photographs, vintage release announcements, wine labels, production tasting notes and more that tell the story of a woman who broke into winemaking in the 1970s and helped pave the way for other women to enter the historically male-dominated industry. In addition to the sampling available online in the digital collection, additional materials from the Merry Edwards Papers are available by appointment from the library’s Archives and Special Collections.
Edwards earned her Master’s in Food Science with an emphasis in Enology from UC Davis in 1973. There were three women in her class; Edwards was the only one to become a winemaker after graduation.
Aware of gender discrimination in the wine industry from the start, Edwards was determined not to begin her career in the lower ranks to which women were often relegated. Edwards pursued the winemaker position at Mount Eden Vineyards, supported by a letter of recommendation from her UC Davis professor and mentor Maynard Amerine. She was chosen for the role and produced wines at the Santa Cruz mountains vineyard from 1974-1977.
She went on to serve as winemaker and consultant for several other wineries, before purchasing an old apple orchard in the Russian River Valley with her husband Ken Coopersmith in 1997 where they would eventually establish her eponymous Merry Edwards Winery. The brand is now world-renowned for its critically acclaimed and sought-after Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs.
Edwards has earned some of the industry’s most prestigious honors, including the James Beard Award for Best Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional and induction into the Culinary Institute of America’s Vintners Hall of Fame. She retired in 2020, a year after selling the winery to Champagne Louis Roederer.
“Merry Edwards’ career has embodied a creative and savvy approach to blending science, art, and business with the same nuance and skill with which she blends a wine,” said Audrey Russek, Ph.D., head of the library’s Food and Drink Collections. “We are honored that she chose the UC Davis Library as the lasting home for the record of her life’s work.”
Related:
Raise a Glass to Three Pioneering Women Winemakers During Women’s History Month