Hands-On Winemaking: Preparing the Next Generation
![](/sites/default/files/media/images/winemaking-wine-bottle-uc-davis-2023_2.jpg)
![Students enrolled in VEN127L, a course in post-fermentation processing, sit in the classroom in the sustainable Teaching and Research Winery and attend to a wine industry guest presenter on May 25, 2023. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)](/sites/default/files/media/images/winemaking-wine-processing-class-students-uc-davis-2023_2.jpg)
VEN127L
In the Teaching and Research Winery at UC Davis, students enrolled in VEN127L listen to a wine industry guest presenter.
![Halsey Bottling demonstrates its mobile wine bottling process to UC Davis students. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)](/sites/default/files/media/images/winemaking-wine-bottles-bottling-line-uc-davis-2023_1.jpg)
Bottling Wine
The students' task for the day: Master the mechanics of bottling wine, a crucial step in their hands-on winemaking experience in VEN127L.
![Wine bottling logistics expert, Erin Halsey, and her team at Halsey Bottling answer viticulture and enology students' questions in class.](/sites/default/files/media/images/winemaking-bottling-lesson-uc-davis-2023_1.jpg)
Erin Halsey
The team from Halsey Bottling offer a wealth of industry experience and insights, helping students understand the intricacies of bottling wine.
![Viticulture and enology student groups choose what wine bottle glass they will use for their custom wine. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)](/sites/default/files/media/images/winemaking-wine-glass-uc-davis-2023_1.jpg)
Agar Plates
Agar plates are used to culture microorganisms. The students spread samples to see what microbes are growing in their product or on their equipment.
![VEN127L instructors David Block (top left), Ben Montpetit (center background) and Leticia Chacon-Rodriguez (center foreground) guide their students through the state-of-the-art Teaching and Research Winery. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)](/sites/default/files/media/images/winemaking-teaching-research-winery-sustainability-uc-davis-2023_0.jpg)
Teaching and Research Winery
Instructor Ben Montpetit leads students through the most advanced and sustainable winery in the world.
![Students examine wine bottles during Halsey Bottling's demonstration. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)](/sites/default/files/media/images/winemaking-mobile-bottling-tour-uc-davis-2023_0.jpg)
Mobile Bottling Demo
The students enter Halsey Bottling’s mobile bottling unit and participate in a hands-on demonstration.
![Halsey Bottling presents its mobile bottling process to post-fermentation processing lab students. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)](/sites/default/files/media/images/winemaking-mobile-wine-bottling-process-uc-davis_1.jpg)
Wine Bottle Ballet
The ballet of wine bottles shows the process in action.
![A Halsey Bottling employee alleviates students' fears about bottling wine. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)](/sites/default/files/media/images/winemaking-teaching-wine-bottling-uc-davis-2023_0.jpg)
Relieving Anxiety
The bottling process can be a nerve-racking one for students because many factors can negatively affect the wine inside. A Halsey Bottling employee explains more of the bottling process during the demonstration.
![A Halsey Bottling employee demonstrates to VEN127L (post-fermentation processing) students how to remove bottled wine from the conveyor belt and package them in boxes. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)](/sites/default/files/media/images/winemaking-boxing-wine-bottles-uc-davis-2023_2.jpg)
Packaging Bottled Wine
The students learn how to remove bottled wine from the conveyor belt to package them in boxes.
![A Halsey Bottling employee places the boxed wine onto a conveyor belt to exit the mobile bottling trailer while VEN127L students watch. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)](/sites/default/files/media/images/winemaking-boxed-wine-mobile-bottling-uc-davis-2023_1.jpg)
End of the Line
The wine bottles have now completed their journey from grape to glass, and the students have unlocked a new skill in the process.