One of the major objectives of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science is to provide new facilities for the departments of Viticulture and Enology and Food Science and Technology. These departments are currently housed, respectively, in Wickson and Cruess Halls — 50 year old buildings inadequate for the advanced level of research being conducted.

"Davis did a lot for me, and I realize that their facilities are antiquated and need to be brought up to a new standard," stated Robert Mondavi when the $25 million gift was announced in 2001.  "I knew we could learn a lot more in the years to come." Added Margrit Biever Mondavi, "We have always been passionate about enhancing the quality of life through wine, food and the arts.”

The Robert Mondavi Institute will consist of a complex of five buildings. The academic buildings (three separate structures) will encompass approximately 131,000 gross square feet, including 75,000 square feet for classrooms, laboratories, offices and meeting rooms. The north and south wings will house, respectively, the departments of Viticulture and Enology and Food Science and Technology. A third building will house offices and conference space for Robert Mondavi Institute staff. This building will also house a state-of- the-art sensory facility.

The 3500 square foot sensory theater will accommodate 50-70 attendees and will have impressive multimedia capabilities. The facility will also include kitchen laboratories and individual sensory testing stations for teaching and research. In this state-of-the-art facility, faculty will offer students a wider education and more courses in food/beverage sensory science than any other university in the world. In addition to being used for student teaching, the sensory theater will be used for outreach and educational activities ranging from popular courses for consumers to specialized courses for the industry.

Once fundraising goals are achieved, two additional facilities will be constructed within the RMI complex: the Anheuser-Busch Brewing and Food Science Laboratory which will feature a teaching and research brewery and a food processing pilot plant and a Teaching and Research Winery with a winery and barrel storage. Twelve acres of vineyards will be planted in front of the institute to welcome visitors at the new south gateway to campus. The vineyards will be used primarily for research but will also contain a demonstration area for consumer education.

The Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science will be located just off Interstate 80 between Sacramento and San Francisco at the front door of the UC Davis campus. The facilities will be on Old Davis Road, just southwest of the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.