By Santé Editors

With great sadness, Santé reports the passing of Brian Smith, a professor in Liberal Arts and Management at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. Along with colleagues Steven Kolpan and Michael Weiss, Smith taught thousands of students about wine and hospitality during in his 22 years at CIA. With Kolpan and Weiss, he co-authored Exploring Wine (1996 and 2002) and WineWise: Your Complete Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Enjoying Wine (2008), which won the James Beard Foundation's 2009 Beverage Book of the Year award. In addition, he penned a splendid little book, The Sommelier's Guide to Wine. Kolpan says of Smith's full, vibrant life, "For more than 20 years, Brian was my colleague and my friend. He had a deep intellect and a ready, often sardonic wit. Brian loved life and he loved wine, and, especially towards the end of his life, enjoyed sharing that love with those closest to him." Smith, who fought mesothelioma the last two years of his life, wrote his own obituary, ending, "In celebration of my life, please raise a glass of sparkling wine and drink to all that I enjoyed."