DAVIS, Calif. — Most of
Colter Knight's life has been spent in the water.
A standout high school swimmer and water polo player whose father, Robert, played water polo at Chico State and uncles at UC Irvine and Redlands, the Aggie alum's career in the pool ripened during his four years at UC Davis, helping his team to back-to-back Western Water Polo Association titles as a sophomore and junior, and scoring 17 goals with six assists as a senior as the Aggies finished second at the league championship.
In the classroom, the viticulture and enology major took full advantage of studying in the shadows of Napa and Sonoma Valley — two of the world's finest regions for wine grapes. Knight's work out of the pool resulted in four Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-Academic Team selections and a three WWPA all-academic honors.
That's a lot to celebrate. Champagne would be in order. However, a nice bottle of pinot noir may be more fitting for the Santa Maria, Calif., native, who has spent the past few months since his graduation traveling the world learning from some of the world's finest vintners in some of the world's most desirable wine destinations.
"I grew up in Santa Barbara County wine country, with vineyards surrounding my house," Knight said. "Although my parents were not involved in the wine-making business, living where I did exposed me to the industry.
"Upon choosing to attend UC Davis, I knew that they had a top program. I also really liked the idea of a career that enabled traveling. Many of the worlds best wine destinations were places I wanted to visit anyway, so working the harvest by traveling from hemisphere to hemisphere was a strong draw."
Knight graduated shortly after the end of the 2018 water polo season and has gained hands-on experience ever since. Work in a winery is seasonal, so he has spent the last 10 months "hemisphere hopping," beginning his career with a winery in Australia.
"The winery I worked for in Australia was a custom crush, meaning we helped other wineries make their wines — mainly white wines because we had expensive filtration equipment that is unnecessary for reds," Knight said. "My position was as a cellar hand and a typical day for me involved pumping unfiltered wine into the filtration device called 'Crossflow,' a process that could take as long as five hours.
"After I got the job going, I'd then help clean tanks or make additions to the wine, all while keeping one eye on the machine. If the machine had a problem, I had to attend to it promptly so as to not stall the bottleneck. Before or after work depending on my shift I would go often go on runs through the vineyards or swim in the local lake."
Water polo again came in handy for Knight who, after his time in Australia came to an end, took advantage of a water polo connection of his father's — UC Davis alum and former water polo player Steve Fredricks, who is the president of the wine brokerage Turrentine in Burgundy, France — and began work there in September.
"In France, the winery I work at is much different," Knight said. "Because the grapes of Burgundy are so expensive, we are a very small winery. When I first arrived, I wondered how I could be busy all day with such a small establishment compared to the one I worked at in Australia. This thought was quickly crushed as I realized all of the work — ALL of it — was going to be completed by me and three other employees."
Handling some of the world's finest grapes in the world — many of the "Premier Cru" and "Grand Cru" classification — from some of the world's most famous vineyards, Knight works closely with the head winemaker, treating each batch… well… like a fine wine.
However, as would be expected in one of the world's most well-known and finest wine-making regions, making "wine" was simply not good enough.
"In Australia, the goal was simple: make as much wine as possible at the highest quality," Knight said. "This would seem to be ideal anywhere, however it was not so simple in France. In Burgundy, making a good wine is not enough. Because nearly all of the wine comes from the same grape (pinot noir), the winemaker must also make a wine that exemplifies the particular 'terroir' of the vineyard it was harvested from. The head winemaker must be familiar with Burgundian wines and make decisions that will help capture the qualities unique to each appellation."
Working a schedule that would make a preseason water polo training camp blush (no wine pun intended), Knight and his compatriots could work anywhere from eight- to 12-hour shifts in an operation that is constantly in motion, alongside people who hail from all around the world.
"The camaraderie that comes with working a harvest together has certainly been a rewarding experience," Knight said. "In Australia, our team had people from everywhere, ranging from Malaysia to Azerbaijan. Just like in sport, a common task united a varied cast of individuals.
"In France, I am the only foreigner. I actually don't speak French, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. With only the head winemaker fluent in English, I quickly learned the vocabulary for the most important winery equipment. Drawings and translation apps have had to suffice for everything else."
Through all the challenges, Knight relies upon his time as a student-athlete at UC Davis to tackle even the toughest of challenges in the face of extended workdays.
"During the peak of harvest, all the grapes come in at once at and suddenly there's a million things to do," Knight said. "I try to approach this period similarly to preseason training camp — focus on the task that I need to complete at this moment and then move on to the next. Worrying about the workload later in the day or week only wastes energy and makes things worse."
Although the Aggie EVO program was in its infancy during his last quarter, he also credits that exposure for helping him brush up many aspects of his soon-to-be professional career, setting the table for future success.
"Aggie EVO was just getting started as I was finishing at UC Davis, however it did benefit me," Knight recalls. "The impact was more subtle perhaps, getting me into a professional mindset as I finished my studies. In addition to forcing me to brush up my resume and set up my LinkedIn, it also helped instill the idea of using my unique experience as a student-athlete to stand out to employers. I was very impressed with the program and wish it were in place from my freshman year."
Although it's just beginning to breathe,
Colter Knight's professional career is already getting better with age.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, and among the top 15 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE
Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit https://give.ucdavis.edu/ATHG/324041 for more information.
