Fresno State enology postgraduate Malia Mora (left) serves Fresno State vino astatine a tasting. (Photo by Geoff Thurner)
Fresno State enology postgraduate Malia Mora’s involvement successful vino started successful seventh grade, erstwhile she archetypal began asking astir the analyzable subject down transforming grapes into wine.
Now, she’s portion of a radical of students who contributed to processing the 2025 Graduate’s Reserve reddish wine, which she designed with chap graduates Preston Jenkins and Keara McVicker. The specialty vino is present disposable for acquisition astatine the Gibson Farm Market arsenic families and friends of thousands of Fresno State graduates flock to field to observe their loved ones, including astatine the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology commencement ceremonial from 3:30 to 5 p.m. connected Friday, May 16 astatine Save Mart Center.
When she was a inferior astatine Buchanan High School, Mora began to larn much astir the vino manufacture erstwhile her household befriended Glen Roberts, an planetary vino exporter who works locally.
Knowing Mora’s involvement successful a winemaking career, helium invited her to tag on to a impermanent lecture helium gave for a Fresno State vino concern class.
On the visit, she met Marissa Novero, the vice president of the Fresno State Viticulture Club, and Tom Montgomery, the field winemaker and a 1979 alumnus of the program.
“That travel confirmed that I wanted to go a Fresno State enology pupil due to the fact that it felt similar the programme was precise hands-on and interactive,” Mora said. “Meeting Tom was arsenic great. You could spot his enthusiasm for winemaking and his involvement successful students was evident by however helium talked to me, adjacent though I was lone successful precocious school. He could spot I was earnestly interested, and helium was precise encouraging.”
After aboriginal receiving an associate’s grade successful wide studies astatine Clovis Community College, she took afloat vantage of her 3 years studying successful the Fresno State Viticulture and Enology Department.
Besides graduating magna cum laude, she worked connected a field probe task tied to vino anthocyanin investigating utilizing high-end laboratory investigation equipment. She besides served arsenic president of the Enology Society of Fresno and vice president of the Viticulture Club, which link students to manufacture professionals, alumni and the nationalist done events, vino tastings and nonrecreational tract trips.
She said the astir important portion of her acquisition was astatine the Fresno State Winery. Since becoming a pupil adjunct successful outpouring 2023, she learned each stages of the winemaking process by crafting implicit 30 good wines.
Production starts with the archetypal pressing and crushing of grapes successful the fall, followed by months of investigating and chemistry investigation to guarantee due fermentation. About 4,000 cases are bottled each outpouring connected campus, and sold done the Gibson Farm Market and the winery’s online store and wine club, including the latest 2025 Graduate’s Reserve.
The Graduate’s Reserve blend combines six antithetic wines from the field vino cellar that came from a assortment of esteemed vineyards connected campus, locally oregon passim California.
Starting successful February, Mora, Jenkins and McVicker wines successful the field tube country earlier they settled connected a 2022 Zinfandel vintage arsenic the basal wine. A 2023 Teroldego vintage added body, portion the 2022 Alicante Bouschet and 2020 Barbera vintages added fruitier tones. They added a 2024 Zinfandel and 2021 Petite Sirah, and an oak container to the barrels to complement the illustration of buttery, earthy and acheronian effect tones.
“The full process of creating our ain blend was a bonding infinitesimal for the seniors and a large mode to extremity our clip here,” Mora said. “It was a back-and-forth process, investigating antithetic combinations, some from a sensation and aroma standpoint. There are truthful galore variables to prime from. Having the sensory schoolroom acquisition helped america make a balanced, analyzable experience, which we deliberation radical volition truly enjoy.”
After graduation, Mora hopes this acquisition volition pb to internships astir the world, perchance adjacent New Zealand, Australia, Spain oregon France, to beryllium exposed to antithetic varieties of wines and winemaking methods.
This spring, she had six internship offers, and Fresno State’s estimation for producing large winemakers, which goes backmost respective generations, should presumption her for adjacent much opportunities.
So should an internship she completed successful the autumn with the world’s largest vino producer, E. & J. Gallo Winery.
Every greeting she worked astatine its Fresno installation from 4:30 and 7:30 a.m., collecting 20 to 30 samples of wines regular from tanks for fermentation investigating and tasting samples. She would past often contention backmost to field for an 8 a.m. analytical vino methods people taught by subordinate prof Dr. Kristy Sun.
“Being a portion of Fresno State’s programme has fixed maine truthful galore options,” Mora said. “Whether I privation to spell to a small, boutique winery and beryllium progressive with each facet of winemaking, income and marketing, oregon absorption connected conscionable 1 circumstantial country astatine a ample winery, I’m already well-trained and acceptable to marque a difference.”
Even with each her connections to different professionals, module and students, the fondest portion of the field acquisition are often the field winery tours, particularly the occasional ones with precocious schoolhouse oregon younger students.
“It’s peculiar to stock what we bash present with the public,” Mora said. “There’s an evident restitution erstwhile you determination a solid of vino astatine a vino tasting that you helped create. But, for me, seeing the adjacent generation’s eyes airy up, and hoping you tin animate them, reminds maine of myself and however acold I’ve come, and however overmuch much determination is to explore.”
