Mention wine to some undergraduates and the likeliest response is disdain for its infamous, uppity etiquette. But for Kirstin Thomas, a second-year student in the Fuqua School of Business and co-president of Fuqua’s Wine Club, a Chardonnay is much more appealing than a Coors. She drinks wine at least two to three times a week. She counts it as “research.”
“I enjoy almost all types of wine, but if I had to pick one, it would be Zinfandel,” Thomas said. “I like big red wines. In this area, one of the best places to buy wine is A Southern Season. They have wine tastings at the store every Friday, which is a great opportunity to sample several wines for the price of a glass or two.”
At Fuqua’s Wine Club—a 300-strong society for Fuqua students, partners of students and a few professors—members get together about four times a semester for formal tastings and other wine-related events.
And it is not just Fuqua that has a wine society. The law school has one too.
Members of the Duke Law School Wine Tasting Club attend monthly wine tastings and a banquet every semester. The dues per semester are $40.
The closest thing to an undergraduate wine society was a weekly wine appreciation group held two years ago for seniors. During those 10 weeks, Michael Gustafson, a lecturing fellow in civil engineering, would discuss wine and food pairings and other wine basics.
“It wasn’t a house course or a regular class,” Gustafson noted. “It ended because I did not have time to commit to one evening a week for 10 weeks. Also, procuring a bartender would have increased the weekly cost beyond what a group as small as ours could reasonably afford.”
The demand is out there, said students who have traveled to countries with terrific wines and cultures that appreciate dining over simply eating. Senior Dan McCready lamented that the opportunities for drinking wine at Duke are limited.
“In Chile, I shared a bottle of red with my host family or my Chilean ex-girlfriend every night,” said McCready, who fell in love with Chilean wines when he studied in Valparaiso, Chile last year. “Chilean wines are so cheap because it is still catching on. Perhaps guys at Duke like beer so much because you can’t shotgun a bottle of wine.”
Senior Deirdre Hess said she would join a wine club if someone would start one. “I’m curious for my own sake because I like having all kinds of knowledge that may or may not be useless,” said Hess, who became a wine aficionado when she studied abroad in France. “For a lot of Duke undergrads, a respectable knowledge of wine might prove useful in social-business settings later in life.”
Senior Steve Rawson, who described his parents as “wine people,” said many Duke students, not just guys, drink just to get drunk. This could explain why beer is so popular, as it is cheap, accessible and conducive to the college party atmosphere.
“You don’t drink a good red wine to get drunk,” Rawson said. “If you do, it’s a waste of a good wine and the money you spent on it. A good wine, not boxed wine or a bottom-shelf supermarket brand, just plain tastes better, and when responsibly consumed, is also better for your health.”
Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs, said the idea of an undergraduate wine tasting group for Duke students of legal drinking age would be “quite nice.”
“I have no idea why no one has started one but would be happy to see one formed if students were so inclined,” he said.
Gustafson is less optimistic. An undergraduate wine tasting club, he said, would be difficult because of the need to have a registered bartender if wines were distributed on campus, or the necessity of figuring out a location and designated drivers if the event was held off campus.
For the Duke community members interested in developing their wine palates, there are excellent wine lists all around from the Washington Duke Inn to the University Club to the Angus Barn—each complete with experts who can make great recommendations.
“It is no longer just the Niles and Frasier Cranes of the world who are appreciating wine,” Gustafson said. “Wine reviews that are easy to read and relate to, such as those written by Robert Parker and Andrea Immer, make even the most extraordinary wines seem like something that anyone should try.”
Bearing in mind that the business school is only 30 percent female, Thomas said there is a higher female turnout at Fuqua’s Wine Club events since average student attendance is nearly 50/50. Indeed, wine is becoming more popular, she said, as people are learning how to navigate the wine section of stores and restaurant wine lists.
“No matter who you are, what mood you’re in or what food you’re eating, there is a wine out there for you,” she said.
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