Why Dynamics of Wine?

Ever since a young age, I have been intrigued by wine and alcohol more generally.  As a child, I always thought it peculiar that adults seemed to obsess over and intellectualize these different kinds of wine that were all essentially just grape juice and that didn't even seem to taste very good!  

By the time I hit my college days, my taste buds had matured and I had come to better understand why people enjoyed wine both for taste and intoxication, but my intrigue had not diminished in the least.  I got why loved this stuff, but I was just starting to realize how immense the world of wine really was and just how difficult it would be to master the subject.  I got hooked on learning about different varietals, regions, and winemaking techniques and began what will likely be a life long journey of learning.

Over the past several years that learning process has only accelerated.  When traveling across many parts of the world (Napa, Provence, Mendoza, the Douro Valley, Tasmania, Long Island), visiting vineyards became a must-do activity.  When planning my wedding and taking on the charge of choosing our wine list, the varietal and regional based tasting parties began and hopefully they will never end!  When holidays now arrive, I am inevitably given a book on wine or another type of alcohol.  

The more I have learned, the more intrigued I have become and I'm now excited to learn about the economic side of the subject.  To this point, I have been focused on learning almost entirely about the product and the production process and I feel I haven't learned enough about Wine the business in addition to Wine the beverage.  I'm taking this class to continue satisfying my intrige and to approach a familar topic from a different perspective.