Fresno State enology graduate Malia Mora (left) serves Fresno State wine at a tasting. (Photo by Geoff Thurner)
Fresno State enology graduate Malia Mora’s interest in wine started in seventh grade, when she first began asking about the complex science behind transforming grapes into wine.
Now, she’s part of a group of students who contributed to developing the 2025 Graduate’s Reserve red wine, which she designed with fellow graduates Preston Jenkins and Keara McVicker. The specialty wine is now available for purchase at the Gibson Farm Market as families and friends of thousands of Fresno State graduates flock to campus to celebrate their loved ones, including at the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology commencement ceremony from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Friday, May 16 at Save Mart Center.
When she was a junior at Buchanan High School, Mora began to learn more about the wine industry when her family befriended Glen Roberts, an international wine exporter who works locally.
Knowing Mora’s interest in a winemaking career, he invited her to tag along to a guest lecture he gave for a Fresno State wine business class.
On the visit, she met Marissa Novero, the vice president of the Fresno State Viticulture Club, and Tom Montgomery, the campus winemaker and a 1979 alumnus of the program.
“That trip confirmed that I wanted to become a Fresno State enology student because it felt like the program was very hands-on and interactive,” Mora said. “Meeting Tom was equally great. You could see his enthusiasm for winemaking and his interest in students was obvious by how he talked to me, even though I was only in high school. He could see I was seriously interested, and he was very encouraging.”
After later receiving an associate’s degree in liberal studies at Clovis Community College, she took full advantage of her three years studying in the Fresno State Viticulture and Enology Department.
Besides graduating magna cum laude, she worked on a campus research project tied to wine anthocyanin testing using high-end lab analysis equipment. She also served as president of the Enology Society of Fresno and vice president of the Viticulture Club, which connect students to industry professionals, alumni and the public through events, wine tastings and professional field trips.
She said the most important part of her experience was at the Fresno State Winery. Since becoming a student assistant in spring 2023, she learned all stages of the winemaking process by crafting over 30 fine wines.
Production starts with the initial pressing and crushing of grapes in the fall, followed by months of testing and chemistry analysis to ensure proper fermentation. About 4,000 cases are bottled each spring on campus, and sold through 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 different wines from the campus wine cellar that came from a variety of esteemed vineyards on campus, locally or throughout California.
Starting in February, Mora, Jenkins and McVicker wines in the campus barrel room before they settled on a 2022 Zinfandel vintage as the base wine. A 2023 Teroldego vintage added body, while the 2022 Alicante Bouschet and 2020 Barbera vintages added fruitier tones. They added a 2024 Zinfandel and 2021 Petite Sirah, and an oak bag to the barrels to complement the profile of buttery, earthy and dark fruit tones.
“The whole process of creating our own blend was a bonding moment for the seniors and a great way to end our time here,” Mora said. “It was a back-and-forth process, testing different combinations, both from a taste and aroma standpoint. There are so many variables to pick from. Having the sensory classroom experience helped us create a balanced, complex experience, which we think people will really enjoy.”
After graduation, Mora hopes this experience will lead to internships around the world, possibly even New Zealand, Australia, Spain or France, to be exposed to different varieties of wines and winemaking methods.
This spring, she had six internship offers, and Fresno State’s reputation for producing great winemakers, which goes back several generations, should position her for even more opportunities.
So should an internship she completed in the fall with the world’s largest wine producer, E. & J. Gallo Winery.
Every morning she worked at its Fresno facility from 4:30 and 7:30 a.m., collecting 20 to 30 samples of wines daily from tanks for fermentation testing and tasting samples. She would then often race back to campus for an 8 a.m. analytical wine methods class taught by associate professor Dr. Kristy Sun.
“Being a part of Fresno State’s program has given me so many options,” Mora said. “Whether I want to go to a small, boutique winery and be involved with every aspect of winemaking, sales and marketing, or focus on just one specific area at a large winery, I’m already well-trained and ready to make a difference.”
Even with all her connections to other professionals, faculty and students, the fondest part of the campus experience are often the campus winery tours, especially the occasional ones with high school or younger students.
“It’s special to share what we do here with the public,” Mora said. “There’s an obvious satisfaction when you pour a glass of wine at a wine tasting that you helped create. But, for me, seeing the next generation’s eyes light up, and hoping you can inspire them, reminds me of myself and how far I’ve come, and how much more there is to explore.”
