Why Wine?

Ever since I can remember, wine has been an important aspect of my family's culture and each member's relationship with each other. My father constantly argues (playfully) with his twin brother over whether Italian or French wine reigns supreme. The rest of the extended family benefits most from this eternal debate, since they both introduce the family to new Italian or French wines they enjoy to try to gain support for their respective factions.

Since my father and mother are on the Italian side of the debate (and since our whole immediate family loves Italian food), almost every holiday or get-together includes a trip to my hometown's local Italian restaurant. Beyond the good food and better wine, the atmosphere of the restaurant makes the whole room feel like one giant family. Towards the end of their shifts, most of the waiters (and usually the owner) start to enjoy the wine with the customers who remain. And when I got older, my brothers and I would stick around after the restaurant closed and share stories, listen to music, play poker, and continue to enjoy the wine with the waiters. This restaurant also planted the seed of my affection for Port. After my parents would pay the bill, the waiter would bring over a bottle of Port and insist we stay longer. Starting when I was around 15, the waiter would sneak me a glass, and when my parents would object the waiter would rebut with "the drinking age on Long Island is 18!" I guess he wasn't a good judge of age, but at least he tried.

Clearly, wine has always been an important part of my life from a consumption perspective. I have gotten more interested in the business side of wine when a family friend opened up a vineyard on Long Island and when my former boss started looking into buying a vineyard in California. Taking Dynamics of the Global Wine Industry was a no-brainer!