EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
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62 EW IN OTHER NEWS August 2013 Virginia continued from page 61 had always enjoyed wine as a hobby, recognizing it as something that's hard to learn everything about. After establishing his practice, he was looking for new challenges and adventures, and rather than "doubling down on medicine," he chose to open a vineyard. Since his father had grown up on a farm, Dr. Cooper said he had it in his head that he wanted to farm or grow something. "I started look- ing for land where I'd be able to grow grapes and make wine," he said. Finding a location was challenging at first because he was looking for something so specific. The land needed to have the correct soil type for a vineyard, and he wanted a place that was near Richmond. Eventually, he found the current location, and Cooper Vineyards was licensed in 1999. Index to Advertisers APACRS New World Medical Phone: 65-63278630 www.apacrs.org Phone: 909-466-4304 Fax: 909-466-4305 www.ahmedvalve.com Page: 43 Accutome Page: 36 Phone: 610-889-0200 Fax: 610-889-3233 www.accutome.com Alcon Laboratories Inc. Page: Cover 2, 3, 23, 24, 27, and 28 Page: 33 Ophthalmology Innovation Summit Page: 49 www.ophthalmologysummit.com Rhein Medical Inc. Page: 17 Phone: 800-862-5266 Fax: 800-241-0677 www.alconlabs.com Phone: 813-885-5050 Fax: 813-885-9346 www.rheinmedical.com Bausch & Lomb Stephens Instruments Page: 5, 7, 8, and 9 Page: 30 Phone: 585-338-6536 Fax: 585-338-0898 www.bausch.com Phone: 800-354-7848 Fax: 859-259-4926 www.usiol.com Diamatrix Ltd. Ziemer Ophthalmic Page: 37 and 44 Phone: 281-367-8081 Fax: 281-292-5481 www.diamatrix.com Gulden Ophthalmics Page: 59 Phone: 215-884-8105 Fax: 215-884-0418 www.guldenophthalmics.com Heidelberg Engineering Inc. Page: 19 Phone: 760-598-1102 Fax: 760-536-7100 www.heidelbergengineering.com Katena Products Page: 12 Phone: 973-989-1600 Fax: 973-989-8175 www.katena.com Mastel Precision Page: 21 Phone: 800-657-8057 Fax: 605-343-3631 www.mastel.com Page: Cover 4 Phone: 618-462-9301 Fax: 618-462-9302 www.ziemergroup.com ASCRS•ASOA Meeting Information 2014 ASCRS Symposium and ASOA Congress Page: 25 EyeWorld at AAO Page: 57 ASCRS•ASOA MediaCenter Page: 35 ASCRS Winter Update 2014 Page: 29 Getting into the winery business Dr. Cooper said that although he never considered himself an entrepreneur, he believes a common attribute is that entrepreneurs do not have any notion of failure, and he was determined to make his winery work. Not having experience in winemaking did not stop him. Dr. Cooper said he had to ask questions and learn along the way, and a major goal for him was to continuously improve each year. "My goal was to have a winery that would be a small production that would create wines that expressed the area, that would be sought after and high quality," he said. Initially Dr. Cooper was the winemaker, but as time went on, the vineyard hired another more experienced winemaker. Despite cutting back on his winemaking responsibilities, Dr. Cooper still has a lot to do at the vineyard and frequently works with the vines. He has a partner, co-owner of the vineyard, Jacquelyn Hogge, MD, a doctor and radiologist who also works in Richmond. Growing over the years Dr. Cooper noted the vineyard's progression to get to where it is today. Currently there are around 240 wineries in Virginia, and when Cooper Vineyards was opened, it was number 53 in the state. One obstacle was that when the vineyard opened, the general opinion was that a smaller winery was not able to produce as good quality wine. But being a smaller winery can help promote attention to detail and a good product, Dr. Cooper said, and Cooper Vineyards is considered to be in the top tier of wineries in Virginia. Cooper Vineyards holds a number of events. The winery does SPCA events, among other things. It has a wine club and will have pick-up parties for orders. Dr. Cooper said the winery offers the option of rentals for weddings, private tastings, and other events. Cooper Vineyards participates in wine competitions on a local and national level. This year, it earned a spot for one of its wines, the 2010 Petit Verdot Reserve, in the Governor's Case, which consists of 12 wines chosen for the state from the Virginia Governor's Cup Awards. Dr. Cooper said the vineyard will make 12 or 13 wines each year, with the goal of appealing to the public as much as possible with its different varieties. Cooper Vineyards has a number of red, white, and sweet wines. Dr. Cooper said that initially, when he was mainly representing the vineyard at wine festivals, the sweet wines were the most popular option. One of the most popular of the Cooper Vineyards wines is Noche, a chocolate sweet wine. The tasting room and winery setup One of the truly unique features of Cooper Vineyards is its tasting room, which earned a LEED Platinum certification for its "green" features. Dr. Cooper said when it came time to focus on the tasting room, this was something that was important to him since he has been a strong environmental supporter for quite some time. The goal was to do something that was both environmentally friendly and respected the site that the vineyard is on, which has historical significance. "Ours is the first LEED Platinum certified winery-related building east of the Mississippi and only the second one in the country," Dr. Cooper said. Some of the features of the tasting room include solar power panels, energyefficient windows and lighting fixtures, and the use of reclaimed or locally sourced material. The idea with the tasting room and vineyard as a whole was to create a nice aesthetic so that people would want to linger. "Our winery is directly adjacent to vines and our tasting room is directly adjacent to vines because it's all part of the same thing," Dr. Cooper said. The design for the winery was created by Michael Pellis, an architect from California, who Dr. Cooper said helped create an incredible design that both he and his partner agreed on. Schedule and current work with the winery Still in practice as an ophthalmologist and operating a winery keeps Dr. Cooper quite busy. "The days I do surgery, I go out to the winery in the afternoon and I'll spray the vines." He is at the winery on weekends working events or tastings there or at various wine festivals. He said he spends around 20 hours a week working with the winery, in addition to the 36 to 40 hour week he works as an ophthalmologist. EW Contact information Cooper: gcooper@erols.com