Tom Smith earned his MS in Food Science at UC Davis after graduating from Harvey Mudd College.  Tom reminds us that in addition to getting a degree in Chemistry, more importantly, he learned how to think, analyze, and problem solve at Mudd.

As Vice President for E. & J. Gallo Winery, Tom leads Gallo’s tremendous research commitment, which largely addresses grape growing and winemaking in California, especially in the Central Valley. Over the course of time, research effort has resulted in dramatic improvements in the quality of wine from the Central Valley, through improvements in winegrape varieties and their clonal selections, developing of sustainable and quality-enhancing grape growing practices, developing analytical metrics for assessing the quality of grapes, developing analytical and sensory metrics for determining optimal harvest timing, developing large scale yet value-adding winemaking practices, and driving industry-wide awareness and improvements in bottle closures.  

Tom also leads the grape growing and winemaking efforts for Barefoot Cellars, a brand which has grown 1600% since acquired in 2004, into a position where it is now the highest revenue wine brand in the USA. Previously, before E. & J. Gallo Winery, Tom’s Delicato Yineyards Shiraz was awarded “Best Shiraz of California” for three years in a row at the California State Fair.