Page 5 - Buzz Magazine - Issue 4 Fall 2022 | University of Rochester

THE
art &

science

OF WINE

with Kerith Overstreet ’98M (MD)

by KRISTINE KAPPEL THOMPSON

This physician-turned- discovered the fun and fruitiness of Beaujolais, the
winemaker runs Bruliam, elegance of pinot noir, and the crispness in a cold
glass of chardonnay. It was such a great time of
a boutique winery in life—gathering with friends, talking about rotations,
Sonoma County and making memories over a glass of wine.”
COMING HOME
Kerith Overstreet always knew that someday After graduating from medical school in 1998,
she’d go to medical school. She grew up loving Overstreet returned home to California to
science, writing, problem-solving, and paying complete a residency in surgical pathology,
attention to details—all skills that physicians need. followed by two fellowships. In 2007, she had
After graduating from Cornell University with a an opportunity to crush fruit at a cooperative
degree in English, she pursued her dream and urban winery in San Francisco. That experience
attended the University of Rochester’s School of confirmed what her gut was saying: to pursue
Medicine and Dentistry (SMD).
a career in wine. Overstreet then enrolled at
It was the perfect place for her. The school UC Davis, where she took what she learned in
welcomed students who came from a wide variety medical school and applied it to enology: the
of academic disciplines and had a sharp mind for study of wines.
medicine. While at SMD, Overstreet discovered Then, in 2008, Overstreet opened Bruliam Wines,
something new: a passion for wine.
which has since become a boutique producer of
“My medical school friends and I would go in on single vineyard pinot noir, zinfandel, rosé, and
cases of our favorites—and we enjoyed the 15 chardonnay. Having started with a single barrel,
percent discount that came with buying in bulk,” Bruliam now produces about 1,200 cases per year.
says Overstreet, with a smile. “Together, we

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