There are experiences in our life that make us rethink our priorities. In the last nine months, I have lost three friends, all relatively young.

I lost my friend David Jones six weeks ago. He left us way too soon.

David partnered with me in organizing and executing our many Wine Shootouts. His love of wine and uncovering and understanding all the mysteries surrounding it was trumped by his love for his children, Celia and Lucas.

Although I have been in the wine business more years than I like to admit, I didn’t know many folks in the San Francisco wine scene when I moved to California from Chicago ten years ago. David was in so many ways my mentor and introduced me to many of my “wine friends” here in the left edge.

David was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in May of 2007. This awful disease is always terminal but somehow, most of his close friends and family were not prepared for his leaving us so soon.

David was a man of incredible intellect and a capacity for loving and sharing that was boundless. In all of the years that DJ and I were friends, I never heard him say a bad word about anyone. He saw the best in everyone and lived every day to its fullest.

David kept me laughing and often intellectually challenged. His vocabulary was second to none, I often wondered if he was somehow related to Noah Webster or Roget. His wine tasting descriptions always included words I didn’t know or phrases used in new contexts. He could always create visual and tactile responses with his words.

So it isn’t surprising that he left us with incredible words and thoughts. David’s beloved brother, Greg and brother-in-law, Rocky planned a beautiful memorial tribute to David on San Francisco Bay. His family and close friends gathered at Pier 39 to say good-bye to this beloved man. Below is the letter he left for us in typcial David style…big words, great visuals, wonderful thoughts and inspirations. I reprint it here with the permission of those closest to him.

What a glorious day, saying my final farewell to a few very special friends, afloat these magical waters, amidst this confluence of such cultural and natural majesty. Such grandeur notwithstanding, I chose this method of departure for its intimacy.

Rather than inviting the masses to some bash in the city, this venue restricted me, allowing me to share the moment with the people who meant the most to me during the final chapter of my life, Look around: Many of you know one another. And, if you don’t already, get acquainted. While you appear to be a diverse bunch - from the genius to the lunatic, the established to the vagrant - each of you possess the warmth and genuineness that kept me coming back for more.

Thank you; thank each of you, for allowing me into your lives. You have touched and enriched my soul more than I deserve and I will cherish our time through eternity.

So I’m off to new adventures. I hear my timing couldn’t be better - real estate prices in the Great Beyond have taken a beating. Expansive, stylistic, puffy white clouds have gone into foreclosure (I wonder if Scott Harvey is hanging onto to Cloud 9).

Walk softly, my friends. Never stop caring. And do unto others better than you would have them do unto you. Tour and tasting on my cloud when you’re ready. I’ll keep the light on. David Paul Jones

As the Chief Wine Evangelist at Affairs of the Vine my passion for wine, especially Pinot Noir, is well known. I seldom, if ever, need an excuse to enjoy a great glass of wine. I am always pleased, however, when the medical community supports the advantages of drinking wine.

This may be the best news yet…drinking red wine may keep you from getting fat! Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, already credited with keeping the heart healthy and warding off cancer, may also turn out to be a fat fighter according to a recent article on WebMD.com The study concludes that more research needs to be done to understand how the resveratrol inhibits fat. Once that is understood, the pharmaceutical industry will want to create drugs that mimic resveratrol. Why do that when you can enjoy great red wine and keep your svelte body?

Using a corkscrew may be the best thing you can do for yourself to live longer and healthier.

I am so happy that red wine and chocolate can contribute to my longevity.