Lizzie Kistler

I graduated from Dartmouth College in the spring of 2016, where I studied Environmental Earth Sciences and Geography. Although my time as a student and ski racer led me to the east coast, my interest in winemaking from growing up brought me back to California to work alongside my family at Occidental. My Environmental Earth Sciences studies have taught me the value in understanding earth systems at every scale, from elements to epochs. I am excited to take this same holistic approach to learning about both the science and the art of winemaking and grape growing. I have started my first semester of the Wine Certificate program at UC Davis, and will be spending California’s winter down in New Zealand working as a seasonal intern in vineyard management and winemaking. I feel so lucky to be mentored on the craft of winemaking by my dad, and for the opportunity to compliment his teachings with a fundamental scientific understanding of the processes at work in both the vineyards and the cellars. -LK