Oncologist David Khayat, “wine accompanies me” and “table is also a place of healing”

“When I received the letter officially informing me that I had been awarded the “Masi Civilization of Wine Award”, my first reaction was to check whether it had been sent by mistake. Me? An oncologist? Honored by the Masi Foundation, which does so much to promote the name of wine and viticulture? Then I understood. And I was deeply moved. In my work, I spend my days talking about prevention. Saying “be careful”, “be prudent”, “seek balance”. I communicate diagnoses, accompany patients through their treatments, see fear in their eyes and strength in their families. It is a profession that carries enormous responsibility, and I am proud of it. But in the evening, when I return home, I need beauty, slowness, and the land. And that is where wine entered my life. Not as consumption, but as a breath of fresh air. I remember my first Amarone. I must have been about 28 years old, a young resident doctor exhausted after an on-call shift. A friend poured me a glass and said: “taste it, and don’t speak for 30 seconds”. Thirty seconds. In an oncology ward, 30 seconds of silence are a luxury! And in that glass I understood what patience truly means. Three years of ageing, dried grapes, a territory, skilled hands. I realized that time can do something good instead of simply wearing things away. Since then, wine has accompanied me. In happy moments, to celebrate a remission. In more difficult times, to remind me that even the hardest years can sometimes yield great vintages”. These are the words by French oncologist and science communicator David Khayat (“Masi International Civilization of Wine Award”), who in his latest book, Arrêtez de vous priver, highlights the positive aspects of moderate food and wine consumption. Together with Luigi Carlon, the Veronese entrepreneur and collector behind the Maffei Palace Museum; Nello Cristianini, the Gorizia-born scientist and professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bath in England; Adele Re Rebaudengo, representing the Venice Gardens Foundation, which promotes the culture of green spaces in Venice (“Masi Venetian Civilization Awatd”); and Thibaut Bruttin, representing Reporters Without Borders, the non-profit organization dedicated to defending press freedom and protecting journalism (“Grosso d’Oro Veneziano Award”), all embodying the theme of the “courage of responsibility”, are the winners of the 2026 Masi Prize, the edition No. 45 of the prestigious award bestowed by the Masi Foundation on Italian and international figures who have distinguished themselves through their contributions to culture, science, art and society. In recent days, they ceremonially signed the historic Amarone cask in the Masi cellars in the heart of Valpolicella.
“For those who run a business, responsibility is measured by the ability to look far ahead, thinking about future generations, and by the willingness to take the risk of courageous decisions while remaining true to one values, especially in rapidly changing times - said “Mr Amarone” Sandro Boscaini, president of Masi Agricola and vicepresident of the Masi Foundation, chaired by Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti - wine teaches us precisely this: to respect nature timing, to value the knowledge handed down to us, and at the same time to know how to evolve. The Amarone cask, together with the Gold Prize, receives the signatures of our champions and becomes a crucible in which stories, experiences and visions come together in a shared determination to face the challenges of their time and contribute to society progress”.
“What the Masi Foundation does is defend the long view - he concluded - the work of winegrowers who prune in January without knowing what September will bring. The transmission of knowledge from father to son. Respect for a territory. It is exactly what we try to do in medicine: pass on knowledge, accompany people, and respect life.
Receiving this Award touches me twice over: because you honor my commitment to wine, and because you remind me that one can be a doctor without losing a sense of poetry; that one can speak of science in the morning and of place and territory in the evening without betraying either. Thank you for defending the vine, the men and women who work it, and this Italian culture that teaches us that the table is also a place of healing. Thank you for welcoming me among you today, even though I come from another world”.