Why I'm taking Dynamics of the Global Wine Industry

I'm really excited about taking this course. Wine has always held a special place in my heart and mind. Growing up in California attending a French international school, I remember marveling from a young age at the beautiful and mysterious adult beverage that seemed to dance in its glass on the dinner table and that was sure to appear at every special celebration. I often felt that wine was one of the key bridges between my life as a Californian and the windows into European culture that I was exposed to at school. I was always very excited whenever I was offered a small sip, feeling like I was being given a peek into a secret, special ritual that only older, more worldly and experienced people had access to.

Setting out after college, I was proud to enter young adulthood with what I then considered to be a far from amateur palate and knowledge of California wines. When I started my first job, and joined the ranks of many a foodie at a restaurant tech company, I thought surely this knowledge would give me a leg up in getting some early street cred. Soon, I realized that what I knew was barely a drop in the barrel! There was so much left to discover. I was blown away by how much I didn't know about New World wines, Old World wines, sommeliers, decanters, the three-tier system...you name it. The vastness of it all only grew my appreciation for the product and industry even further.

While a lot of my love of wine comes from the consumer side of the business, I think leveraging something that you're passionate about to take a deep dive on the business and economic side is a wonderful thing. I loved Professor Rapp's thesis that "wine is a prism," and I think it serves as a great summary of why I'm excited to take this course. For me, it has been a prism through which I have been able to distill geography, culture, human connection, and taste. I can't wait to explore strategy, global politics, and distribution as seen through the prism of wine, and taste some amazing wine while we're at it, too!