Davis

Davis, the usual abbreviation in the wine world for the influential wine-related faculties of the University of California at Davis, a small city 70 miles north east of San Francisco in California’s Central Valley. The city came to be known throughout the world as a centre for research and instruction in all aspects of agriculture because it was the home of the University Farm established in 1906.

Until the late 19th century, grape-growing and winemaking in California had been relatively haphazard, with numerous problems generally unrecognized. An act of state legislature in 1880 directed the nascent University of California to start research and instruction in viticulture and oenology. The fact that Berkeley, the original site of the university, was too cold and foggy for grape-growing encouraged the establishment of the farm in the warm, inland climate of Davis.