Inuagural Wine Country Weekend 2011

Dear Panther Alumni and Friends: The Florida International University Alumni Association is pleased to invite you to the Inaugural FIU Wine Country Weekend. These three days will be filled with fascinating tours, striking scenery, and plenty of Panther Pride.

I encourage you, your families, and your friends to take advantage of this incredible opportunity by joining us on this adventure. Whether for a day, or all three, we have arranged packages to make your stay safe, affordable and unforgettable.

If three days is not enough, we recommend you come early or stay late. Enjoy all that wine country has to offer. I look forward to seeing you there.

In the Spirit of Blue & Gold,

Bill Draughon Executive Director, FIU Alumni Association Associate Vice President, Alumni Relations

Schedule of Events: Thursday, October 13

Saturday, October 15

Kick off Wine and Cheese Reception Get to know your fellow Panther travelers at this intimate wine and cheese reception at the Flamingo Resort & Spa. Only for guests who purchase the weekend getaway package.

Brunch with Wine Connoisseurs - Indulge in a breakfast buffet, while listening to wine experts Chip Cassidy and Clark Smith discuss the three wine regions and what makes them different. In addition, the major types of wine and the factors influencing their quality will be touched upon.

Friday, October 14 Breakfast on your own Benzinger Winery - Join us for a tram tour! Take pleasure in a close-up look at their Biodynamic vineyards, visit the fermentation facility, crush pad, and explore their barrel caves.

Includes a special tasting of their Biodynamic and other awardwinning wines.

Chateau St. Jean - A host will guide you through an exciting tasting of their renowned wines.

Wine tasting tips, story telling and wine descriptions will add color to the presentation.

Poolside Reception - Network while enjoying delicious drinks and hors d’oeuvres at the Flamingo Resort and Spa pool area.

Uncorked at Oxbow - Visit an alumni owned wine tasting salon with a behind-the-scenes vineyard tour. Afterwards, take in the scenery and explore the famous Oxbow Public Market, located in the “up and coming” district of downtown Napa.

Purchase your lunch at one of the various tasty eateries and discover all that the market has to offer.

B Cellars - The weekend will culminate with an evening soirée at this alumni owned winery. Share drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and stories with your fellow Panthers.

Deadline to RSVP is September 23, 2011

Dear Panther Alumni and Friends: The Florida International University Alumni Association is pleased to invite you to the Inaugural FIU Wine Country Weekend. These three days will be filled with fascinating tours, striking scenery, and plenty of Panther Pride.

I encourage you, your families, and your friends to take advantage of this incredible opportunity by joining us on this adventure. Whether for a day, or all three, we have arranged packages to make your stay safe, affordable and unforgettable.

If three days is not enough, we recommend you come early or stay late. Enjoy all that wine country has to offer. I look forward to seeing you there.

In the Spirit of Blue & Gold,

Bill Draughon Executive Director, FIU Alumni Association Associate Vice President, Alumni Relations

Schedule of Events: Thursday, October 13

Saturday, October 15

Kick off Wine and Cheese Reception Get to know your fellow Panther travelers at this intimate wine and cheese reception at the Flamingo Resort & Spa. Only for guests who purchase the weekend getaway package.

Brunch with Wine Connoisseurs - Indulge in a breakfast buffet, while listening to wine experts Chip Cassidy and Clark Smith discuss the three wine regions and what makes them different. In addition, the major types of wine and the factors influencing their quality will be touched upon.

Friday, October 14 Breakfast on your own Benzinger Winery - Join us for a tram tour! Take pleasure in a close-up look at their Biodynamic vineyards, visit the fermentation facility, crush pad, and explore their barrel caves.

Includes a special tasting of their Biodynamic and other awardwinning wines.

Chateau St. Jean - A host will guide you through an exciting tasting of their renowned wines.

Wine tasting tips, story telling and wine descriptions will add color to the presentation.

Poolside Reception - Network while enjoying delicious drinks and hors d’oeuvres at the Flamingo Resort and Spa pool area.

Uncorked at Oxbow - Visit an alumni owned wine tasting salon with a behind-the-scenes vineyard tour. Afterwards, take in the scenery and explore the famous Oxbow Public Market, located in the “up and coming” district of downtown Napa.

Purchase your lunch at one of the various tasty eateries and discover all that the market has to offer.

B Cellars - The weekend will culminate with an evening soirée at this alumni owned winery. Share drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and stories with your fellow Panthers.

Deadline to RSVP is September 23, 2011

Weekend Featured Guests: Patrick “Chip” Cassidy ’75 - Winner of the FIU Medallion for University Service, Professor Cassidy’s wine experience began over 40 years ago in New York. Working in a wine shop through college led to the head sommelier’s position at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach. Currently the wine buyer for a large chain of wine stores, Crown Wine and Spirits, Chip worked previously at Sunset Corners, a large volume wine shop.

His teaching career began in 1984. Today he teaches Wine Technology, The Business of Wine and recently has developed a Wine Certificate Program offered to professionals already working in the wine or related fields. He was instrumental in developing the concept to build the Southern Wine and Spirits Beverage Management Center at Biscayne Bay Campus, a state of the art wine teaching laboratory.

Clark Smith - Has been in the California wine industry ever since 1971. After a decade cooking in various restaurants and six years in retail wine shops, he graduated UC Davis in 1983 and founded with the Giguiere family the R.H. Phillips Vineyard, where he served as winemaker for its first seven years. In his role as Senior Enologist for their family’s wine production consulting firm Vinovation, he patented alcohol adjustment and other enological applications of reverse osmosis, which he developed into an international enological network. In 1997, he became a disciple of the élevage techniques of Patrick DuCournau and Thierry Lemaire of OenoDev of Madiran in southern France, which developed into a post-modern school of winemaking he calls Practicing GrapeCraft. He also edits the controversial web magazine, winecrimes.com, which provides an open forum for writers to air their views regarding new winemaking techniques.

Celeste Carducci ’77 - Since 1988, she has owned and operated The McClelland-Priest B&B Inn located in historic Napa: developing the Bed and Breakfast, licensing, and establishing all facets of this hospitality venue from operations, marketing, sales, finance and guest services.

She also opened a tasting room, Uncorked at Oxbow, located across from the Oxbow Marketplace, in downtown Napa. They feature Ahnfeldt Wines and Carducci Wines (California Italian varietals). This entrepreneur and vineyard proprietor has won several awards and honors including a feature in Who’s Who of American Women.

H.E. Duffy Keys ’75 - After a 20-year stint as a senior-level executive with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, he chose to hedge his bets with successful retail entrepreneur Jim Borsack by co-founding B Cellars, a start-up company with a new concept in Napa Valley artisan wines. In addition to his role as Co-founder and Principal of B-Cellars, Duffy heads Keys Associates, which he founded in 2003 to provide asset management, development, marketing and related consulting services in hospitality and residential real estate industries, with an emphasis on integrated developments.