The Michael Bonaccorsi Scholarship Fund was founded at UC Davis in 2004 by the Bonaccorsi family. The scholarship was developed in response to the overwhelming reaction of friends and wine professionals interested in creating a lasting memorial to the man who generously shared his knowledge and talents throughout his brilliant, yet tragically short career. Wally's quickly stepped in to lend its support by creating the Wally's Central Coast Wine and Food Celebration. To date, the fundraiser has raised over $150,000 - making it the primary source in funding the scholarship, which now totals nearly a third of a million dollars, a portion of which is awarded yearly to a qualifying recipient at UC Davis' Department of Viticulture and Enology, the leading educational school of its kind in the United States.

Each year, a deserving student displaying outstanding achievement in winemaking along with a genuine passion for the field will receive a generous grant helping with his or her financial needs.

About Michael
Michael Bonaccorsi was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1960. By the age of twenty-one, he knew he wanted to be a winemaker. He moved out to San Francisco to be closer to the California wine country, his first job as a stock boy at a wine shop. After a short time selling wine for a distributor, he became interested in becoming a sommelier, eventually landing him at Masa's Restaurant. After a three-year course of study and exams, Bonaccorsi became the twentieth American to be awarded the Master Sommelier Diploma.