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Kerith Overstreet always knew that someday she\u2019d go to medical school. She grew up loving science, writing, problem-solving, and paying attention to details\u2014all skills that physicians need. After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in English, she pursued her dream and attended the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD).<\/p>\n
It was the perfect place for her. The school welcomed students who came from a wide variety of academic disciplines and had a sharp mind for medicine. While at SMD, Overstreet discovered something new: a passion for wine.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy medical school friends and I would go in on cases of our favorites\u2014and we enjoyed the 15 percent discount that came with buying in bulk,\u201d says Overstreet, with a smile. \u201cTogether, we discovered the fun and fruitiness of Beaujolais, the elegance of pinot noir, and the crispness in a cold glass of chardonnay. It was such a great time of life\u2014gathering with friends, talking about rotations, and making memories over a glass of wine.\u201d<\/p>\n
After graduating from medical school in 1998, Overstreet returned home to California to complete a residency in surgical pathology, followed by two fellowships. In 2007, she had an opportunity to crush fruit at a cooperative urban winery in San Francisco. That experience confirmed what her gut was saying: to pursue a career in wine. Overstreet then enrolled in UC Davis, where she took what she learned in medical school and applied it to enology: the study of wines.<\/p>\n
Then, in 2008, Overstreet opened Bruliam Wines, which has since become a boutique producer of single vineyard pinot noir, zinfandel, ros\u00e9, and chardonnay. Having started with a single barrel, Bruliam now produces about 1,200 cases per year.<\/p>\n
Overstreet sources her grapes from vineyards in Sonoma County\u2014including her own estate pinot noir vineyard, Torrey Hill\u2014and from the Santa Lucia Highlands.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike all physicians, I invested a lot of time and heart in my medical training,\u201d she says. \u201cLeaving wasn\u2019t easy, but after 15 years of winemaking, it\u2019s clear that I draw on the same skill set every day, just differently. To me, winemaking is a magical elixir of science and art, just like the best physicians combine rigor and technique with a big dose of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Winemaking, Overstreet says, is not such a far cry from medicine. \u201cI used to look at cross sections of tissue. Now I look at cross sections of grapes,\u201d she says. Overstreet adds that in medical school, she was taught the biopsychosocial approach to patient care and learned how important it was to assess the whole patient to improve health outcomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s similar in winemaking,\u201d she says. \u201cWe have to integrate a variety of factors that affect the production of a great wine, including sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol, and body. There\u2019s art involved in the process, too\u2014intuition, writing skills, design savvy, and the ability to connect with people are vital. Every year offers a new vintage and a new challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a winemaker, Overstreet still makes rounds. She wakes early, walks the vineyards, plans a grape-picking schedule, and does whatever the season requires. For instance, when producing red wines, her first job each morning is to check temperature and sugar levels in each tank. \u201cIf a tank overheats, the yeast in it can die and fermentation will stop,\u201d she says. \u201cThat can\u2019t happen\u2014I have to make sure my grapes don\u2019t get chilled or come down with something like a fever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bruliam is housed within a shared production facility, which makes it possible for small, boutique brands like Overstreet\u2019s to run a business without the capital investment in large equipment like crushers\/destemmers and presses. The facility provides her access to state-of-the-art production equipment along with the physical space needed to focus on hospitality, offer private tastings, and provide guests with distinctive experiences.<\/p>\n
Overstreet is also intimately involved in all aspects of the business\u2014from farmer to winemaker to marketer to everything in between. \u201cOn any given day, I could be sampling grapes, writing tech sheets, jotting down tasting notes, packing boxes, or testing the sugar content in the grapes,\u201d she adds. \u201cI love the variety and wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overstreet especially enjoys the people part of the business. \u201cCustomers always remind me that I\u2019m right where I need to be,\u201d she says. \u201cI love getting photos from them that showcase a bottle of Bruliam alongside a hike to a waterfall, at a grandchild\u2019s wedding, or as a way to celebrate a new job, retirement, or neighborhood get-together.\u201d She adds that now, during this nearly post-pandemic reality, people are excited about gathering in groups again, to share food and wine, and to lubricate their social machinery.<\/p>\n
\u201cShare a bottle of wine from California or New York or Italy or wherever and people inevitably talk about how that particular wine reminds them of a past vacation, a great meal, or some special moment in their lives,\u201d she says. \u201cWine brings people together\u2014it\u2019s such a privilege to be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Discover fall recipes along with wine pairing suggestions by Overstreet. <\/i><\/a>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”grid” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#00205b” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Overstreet and her husband of 24 years, Brian, have three children: Bruno, a first-year college student, and 16-year-old twins, Lily and Amelia. The name \u201cBruliam\u201d combines the first two letters of their kids\u2019 names. The Bruliam logo also features three meaningful dots: two close together to represent the twins and a third for Bruno. The name also plays on Overstreet\u2019s passion for science. \u201cThe word \u2018Bruliam\u2019 just sounds like it could be found in the periodic table of elements,\u201d says Overstreet. \u201cIt\u2019s even part of our tagline, that here at Bruliam, wine is \u2018elemental.\u2019\u201d<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”grid” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#f4f4f4″ css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1673457071804{padding-right: 50px !important;}”]<\/p>\n Check out our regional networks.<\/a><\/p>\n Join The Meliora Collective.<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1669645812448{border-top-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;border-top-color: #999999 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;}”]This story originally appeared in the fall 2022 issue of the <\/em>Buzz<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014 Kristine Kappel Thompson, November 2022<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kerith Overstreet grew up loving science, writing, problem-solving, and paying attention to details\u2014all skills that physicians need. She pursued her dream and attended the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD). While at SMD, Overstreet discovered something new: a passion for wine. “It was such a great time of life\u2014gathering with friends, talking about rotations, and making memories over a glass of wine.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":55152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[272,582,922,652],"class_list":["post-55092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-alumni","tag-school-of-medicine-and-dentistry","tag-stories","tag-women-who-roc"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat\u2019s in a name?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Looking to make connections with fellow alumni?<\/strong><\/h4>\n