Why I'm Taking a Wine Industry Class - Amanda

At any celebratory event growing up, my Uncle Ron chose the wine. I vividly remember him teaching my younger brother and me how to properly pour from a bottle, swirl and smell the glass, and finally taste a sip at an age far younger than may have been appropriate. Back then, I thought wine tasted so foul that I could not fathom why someone would willingly choose to drink it. Clearly, my attitudes changed.

Now, at family gatherings, I always ask Uncle Ron to walk me through the tasting notes and explain why he chose a given bottle, in an attempt soak up any of his wine know-how. Maybe if I keep asking him, some of his knowledge will rub off. While I do keep notes of my favorite bottles, but my knowledge is still rudimentary at best. Embarrassingly, I typically find myself choosing wines based on bottle design and price point. I hope to become a more informed consumer of wine this quarter.

My career sights are set on food, in particular, I want to start a food brand. I have strong suspicions that there are many similarities between the food and wine businesses, so I see this course as directly related to that goal. I'm particularly eager to learn more about supply chain and distribution in the wine industry. Furthermore, I am passionate about branding and packaging, which is as crucial in food as it is in wine (as was already evidenced in the Inniskillin case).