I first heard about this class from a friend who’s an MBA 2. I was finding the process of figuring out how to register for foundations classes and leave space for the “right” electives daunting, and welcomed any signals that could send me in a good direction when it came to planning.
I’ve been slow to learn more about wine in general, though I’ve been curious about it. For most wines, I’m at the point where I know I prefer drier wines, red ones over white ones, and that Malbec’s always a good bet. My one spot of deeper knowledge is in sparkling wines, which I love. This class felt like a good opportunity to learn more, and I like that its scope goes significantly beyond tasting different wines. I’m looking forward to understanding more about how the wine market operates and how the people in it think about how, when, and why to produce the drink.
Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit the Douro wine region in Portugal. With the backdrop of acres beautifully green vines, I learned a bit about port wine, and discovered either my palate had changed or that I’d previous tried bad port. It was a nice reminder to be more open about trying wine, something I’m looking forward to exercising this quarter. Once I know there’s a wine I like on a menu, I tend to go for that over exploring, something I’d like to change so I can learn more about what the wine world has to offer.
I’m not convinced that I’m ever going to work in the wine industry. But I’m hoping that the lessons it can teach me about how brands stand out in a crowded market can be carried over to whatever my future entails. I’m especially interested in how this is done in a market where there’s relatively low knowledge on the consumer side about what differentiates products within the same broad category.
One of our best final presentations since the course's inception was about a new Port + Madeira combo product named after Alexander Hamilton and marketed to all Hamilton Broadway goers!
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