Eyeworld

101 EW IN OTHER NEWS December 2017 by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Senior Staff Writer "My husband always had an interest in wine and vineyards," Dr. Hoffman said. "He went to Bucknell University and was close to Penn State, so he took some viticulture classes there. Dave and Mark were in the same family practice residency program, so we started spending time together and all enjoyed wine," she said. "It was Dave's idea to do a vineyard venture together." It's been a lot of fun but also a lot more work than they imagined, she added. They planted the first set of grapes in 1998, on about 10 acres. The following year, they planted an additional 16 acres. They operated solely as a vineyard for about 5 years before producing their own wine. They currently produce 10,000 cases of wine per year. "We did all the hand work ourselves for the first couple of years and quickly found out that it was too time-consuming and we needed help," she said. Over the years, they have hired a vineyard manager, a full-time winemaker, and a marketing and events coordinator. "We do less hands-on work than we used to but are still very involved in the direction and the focus of the business. We still enjoy tasting all the wine and deciding what the blends are going to be for each vintage. "It started out that we produced dry Vinifera wines that we personal- ly enjoyed," Dr. Hoffman said. Some of the original varieties included Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Grigio. These are all typically dry wines, Dr. Hoffman said. "We quickly found out there is a large segment of the population that prefers sweet wines." To satisfy this group, a line of sweeter wines is produced in pouches and patented paint cans. Now the winery sells their products in a number of locations, including in some Pennsylvania state stores, farmers markets, and restaurants. Dr. Hoffman added that the partners all work hard to balance their time among the winery, vine- yard, and professional obligations. called Paradocx because we're all practicing physicians," she said. While Dr. Hoffman is an oph- thalmologist, her husband, Dave, is a family physician. Meanwhile, Dr. Mark Harris is also a family physi- cian who trained with Dr. Hoffman's husband, and Dr. Joanne Harris is a practicing gynecologist. I n addition to being a practicing ophthalmologist, Carol Hoff- man, MD, Wilmington, Del- aware, has turned her passion for wine into a second career, as one of the owners of Paradocx Vine- yard in Landenberg, Pennsylvania. "There are four of us who own the vineyard and the winery. It's Dr. Hoffman owns Paradocx Vineyard along with her husband and two others Ophthalmologist runs winery with other physicians continued on page 102 Dr. Hoffman with her husband, Dave Hoffman, MD, and their sons, David and Wyatt Do you have a hobby, interest, or sideline work that might be of interest to your fellow ophthalmologists? Please contact Amy Goldenberg, amy@eyeworld.org, with your idea for possible future inclusion in the "In other news" section. In other news

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