Wine

Nectar of the Gods "Wine is poetry in a bottle." - Clifton Fadiman "I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines as a tax on luxury. On the contrary, it is a tax on the health of our citizens." - Thomas Jefferson “Life is too short to drink bad wine.” - Anonymous Wine Activities Since I came to California, I’ve tried to involve myself with as many wine-related activities as possible. You may say that it has sort of surpassed “hobby” status. Founder of Lyman Wine Tasting Club In 1999 I started a wine tasting club at Lyman Residences at Stanford University. It was basically a means for me to try as many wines as possible on a meager student budget. A club that started off with as few as 10 friends per gathering has now expanded to 40-60 person tastings (including a 100 person black-tie soiree for the annual Champagne tasting in December) and a 9-hour Sonoma limo-bus tour each Spring. Lecturer for Stanford Viticulture Course Answering to the lack of a wine course at Stanford, Sunaina Sinha, a then resident of La Maison Française on campus, created an Introductory Viticulture course for Stanford students. The response was staggering! Sunaina brings in wine experts from wineries, restaurants, retail shops, and hotels to speak about all aspect of wine, and I have the honor of doing a couple lectures per quarter. Member of Tasting Panel for the Stanford Wine Program An alumni program called the Stanford Wine Program was created to provide a few panel-selected premium wines under a Stanford label. The goal is to provide quality wines to alumni for special events such as business parties, weddings, or other social gatherings with a Stanford theme. By a bit of splendid luck I was asked to join the professional wine tasting panel to select the annual wine selections. Each Spring, Stanford alumni in the wine industry, including the Mondavi’s from the Robert Mondavi and Charles Krug Wineries, gather at the Stanford Alumni Center to conduct a blind tasting of about 30 wines to select three wines for the program. Certified Specialist of Wine In May 2005 I became a Certified Specialist of Wine through the Wine Educator Society. I often joke that it took me two and a half years longer to earn my CSW than my Ph.D. Since the certification, I’ve been doing some professional wine consulting here and there. Favorite Wines I truly believe that there are great examples of any style of wine, so I can never answer the “What’s your favorite wine?” question. But just for fun, here’s a very abridged list of some wines that have special sentimental value to me. 1988 Burgess Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Library Selection - My little brother’s birth year and first red wine love 1997 La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino - Served at my Ph.D. Defense dinner (Any vintage) Thomas Fogarty Gewürtztraminer - Served at all Stanford Vascular Surgery events and my first white wine love 1992 Moët et Chandon, Dom Perignon - Larry Becker opened up a magnum of this wine to celebrate the purchase of his first house 1997 Chateau Giraud Sauternes - The best Sauternes I’ve tasted to date and also served at my Ph.D. Defense dinner 1966 Chateau La Pointe, Pomerol - Had this very old wine with my father early in my wine career. By a stroke of luck it was in perfect condition and has left an impression on my palate to this day

Yes, Sean Spicer is indeed dunking his Oreo cookie into a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon My final Stanford wine tasting Peter Westen smelling the inside of a used wine barrel