Johns Hopkins Magazine -- September 1997
Johns Hopkins Magazine
Home

SEPTEMBER 1997
CONTENTS

RETURN TO PASSIONATE DIVERSIONS

AUTHOR'S NOTEBOOK

S C I E N C E    &    T E C H N O L O G Y

Passionate Diversions


Eric Fiore
Engineer, Applied Physics Lab
Photos by David Harp


In a mineral-rich, breezy hill just south of the Susquehanna River, Eric Fiore and his family plant vines, harvest grapes, and turn them into bottles of Chardonnay and Cabernet. Fiore's parents, immigrants from Calabria, in southern Italy, started Fiore Winery in 1986. The business blossomed, and the winery's 10-acre vineyard now yields 15,000 gallons of wine annually, sold mainly at wine festivals. "The whole process--of planting the vine and watching it grow--is fascinating," says Fiore, who devotes all his free time to the winery.

In his "other life," Fiore tests and calibrates instruments for spacecraft such as the NEAR (see p. 45). Having two different roles is ideal, says Fiore. "When you're stuck in one area and need a distraction period so your mind can recharge, it helps." He adds, as a true salesman and connoisseur should, "Having a glass of wine helps you think, too."


RETURN TO PASSIONATE DIVERSIONS.

RETURN TO SEPTEMBER 1997 TABLE OF CONTENTS.