EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/82503
September 2012 Dr. Sinskey at the vineyard The fruit of RSV's labor took over the reins of the flounder- ing business. Since Dr. Sinskey needed to be repaid, he was given 11 acres to establish his own business, foisting him into a totally different sphere. He opted to make hay of the situa- tion. "I decided to do my own thing without 42 partners," he said, adding that he recruited the Acacia winemaker to help him build his own Bordeaux-style winery. Pressing challenges It was not until 3 years later that Dr. Sinskey had his first grape crush, beginning the line with chardonnay and pinot noir. However, success was not immediate. "In those days chardonnay was hot but the market was overcrowded," he explained. "My chardonnay didn't taste very good because my winemaker was a red winemaker." Dr. Sinskey found himself at loggerheads with the man. "As someone at the leading edge of ophthalmology, I wanted to be on the leading edge of the wine busi- ness," he said. "With this guy, unless it was done 100 years ago in Italy, he didn't do it." Meanwhile, Dr. Sinskey's son, Robert Jr., came on board to head up marketing. Robert Jr. then took a chance on 25-year-old Jeff Virnig, who had limited experience but was knowledgeable. "When I talked to Jeff, he knew more about what we were doing than our winemaker," Dr. Sinskey said. "So we made Jeff the winemaker." Fortunately for Dr. Sinskey, who was running his practice 500 miles away in Santa Monica, Rob Jr. proved to be his top asset. "My son turned out to have a marvelous palate and was able to pick up the flaws in the wine before the wine- maker," Dr. Sinskey said. Rob Jr. was able to be hands-on in a way that wasn't possible for Dr. Sinskey at the height of his ophthalmic career. Still, challenges arose, including the bitter revelation that the hybrid continued on page 102