Students who attended the Bucknell Tastings event at Union Cellars this past Sunday had the opportunity to sample a variety of wines and paired food to learn about the five S’s of wine tasting: see, swirl, smell, sip and savor. 

The event program is funded by University alumnus Norm Kiken ’64, who has owned vineyards in California. The Kiken Family Wine Studies Endowment, established in 2009, provides experiences for students to enjoy, understand and use a wide variety of wines in hopes of preparing them for personal and professional settings.

Students were provided transportation and were not allowed to use their own.

This specific event and others this semester were set up in part by Sophie Downey ’23, a Bucknell Tasting intern. Downey is responsible for planning the events from conception to completion, interacting with external stakeholders, hosting the events and assisting in set-up and clean up of the events. 

Downey shared some of her enthusiasm for the Bucknell Tastings event. 

“Events like these are an awesome way for students to learn new things while meeting new people. They are free to attend and are a fun few hours to escape the normally stressful academic week,” Downey said. 

Attendees of the events gain knowledge in pairing different beverages with food. The experience also includes learning about the educational aspects and history, which can grow into a useful tool that can carry on to future experiences in life, Downey said.

Downey is responsible for creating the menu for each on-campus event. 

“I work with dining to come up with foods by doing research into what types of food selections will pair well with the wines for the evening,” Downey said. 

However, this past Sunday’s wine tasting included a menu curated by Union Cellars, which consisted of five different wines (white and red) and five food pairings, each of which contributed to the taste of the chosen wine. 

Attendee Hanna Davis remarked about her experience this past Sunday.

“The wine tasting at Union Cellars provided us with delicious wine and food pairings and was a great experience to relax and enjoy some time with friends at their charming winery. The owners were so kind and informative about their winery journey and I would highly recommend checking out Union Cellars for a cute excursion with friends,” Davis said. 

Those of age and interested in learning more about history and developing your knowledge of the craft of wine should look out for the next wine tasting.