In March, alumni and guests got the royal treatment during “the Ultimate Sonoma Wine Country Experience,” a five-day trip through this picturesque region. Alumni tasted rare wines, plus meals by some of the country’s top chefs, and conversed with winemakers and vineyard proprietors. Making it possible was our trip advisor, Stan Bishop ’65, and our sommelier and guide Sandi Lucchesi, principal with A Sense of Wine.
The tour started off with a bang, with a sabered champagne presentation at the Jean-Charles Boisset Tasting Room. Visiting eight vineyards, alumni sampled 56 wines from the Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River valleys. They also had the rare opportunity to sample wine straight from the barrel at Stryker Sonoma Winery and at E. & J. Gallo. Alumni were given behind-the-scenes access to Jordan Winery and Williams Selyem Winery. Wine aficionados like Warren Procci ’68 had fun blending their own wines at Chateau St. Jean, and seeing the wine bottling process at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery.
Next up in alumni travel? China, September 2–14, 2014. The Alumni Association has partnered with Odysseys Unlimited, a respected tour operator known for its small-group tours for alumni associations nationwide. The trip is limited to 20 travelers to ensure access to many of the sites, which include (subject to change), the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the Terra Cotta Army, the pandas at the Chongqing Zoo, a cruise along the Yangtze River, the Ghost City of Fengdu, and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. We will conclude our trip in Shanghai. We will also spend time with local residents in their homes, visit a local school, and explore open markets and shopping.
At the time of this writing, costs for the trip have not been finalized, but full details of the trip, including early-bird registration discounts, are available online, or you may contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 718-390-3224.
— Kenneth Lam, Director of Alumni Relations
