Harvest Internships for Students
Many of our students gain practical experience by working during the summer or by taking a leave of absence to work at a winery or vineyard during harvest and crush. We strongly encourage this and, if arranged properly, students can receive academic credit for their experience.
To identify internships, students can use the VENJobs department listing, as well as listings under the UC Davis Internship and Career Center. The annual Winter quarter Internship and Career Fair, held in mid-February, is usually well-attended by alumni winemakers and partner wineries, and is an ideal time to line up harvest internships as well.
There are two ways for undergraduate students to obtain academic internship credit:
- Transcript notation may be arranged (in advance) through the Internship & Career Center. You will be asked to keep a journal of your experiences.
- Academic credit may be arranged (in advance) through a faculty sponsor (choose a faculty member whose research interests overlap with the area of your internship). Commonly students are required to write a 5-10 page paper on a pre-arranged topic and/or keep a journal of their experiences.
Master's students in the Plan II Professional Science Master's program have an internship component written into their academic plans, and complete internships while registering for 12 units of VEN 292, during which they can register for In Absentia status.
International Internships for Students or Graduates
UC Davis has an excellent network of connections to the wine industry worldwide. In addition, a few visionary organizations provide awards for UC Davis students to travel internationally to complete internships outside of the United States. This is a great opportunity for our students to learn the culture and technology of some of the most renowned winemaking regions of the world. For the awards, students submit an application in January, and are selected after an interview with the Internship committee. The awardees are considered our ambassadors, as well as ambassadors of the awarding organization. Their performance and behavior will affect opportunities for future students. Current harvest internship awards include:
- Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin - Burgundy, France
- Marchesi Antinori - Tenuta Tignanello, Tuscany, Italy
- I Greppi - Bolgheri, Italy
- Catena Institute - Mendoza, Argentina
- WineXRay International Internship Award - destination proposed by student
- EnoTrex International Internship Award - destination proposed by student
- DEVO Davis Enology and Viticulture Organization - destination proposed by student
- Araujo Family Endowed International Harvest Award - destination proposed by student
In addition to these awards, some of our students also independently elect to pursue internships abroad, taking advantage of faculty and industry networks.