Who Wouldn't Want to Take This Class?

You know that person who couldn't tell you if Sauvignon Blanc is a white or red wine, or who orders a glass of "champagne" only to be shocked by the price of Prosecco these days? Yep - that's me. Such wine ignorance is partially due to the fact that I didn't grow up in a wine-drinking household; my parents' preferred alcoholic beverage was a cold Long Island iced tea (along with a side of crab legs at Red Lobster). Mostly though, it's because I'm not a very detailed-oriented person when it comes to what I consume - particularly when those details are listed in French. Speaking of France, I didn't begin to appreciate wine as a drink until I traveled abroad to Paris for three months. My culinary life exploded there in various ways, including in the space of wine.

Thus, I'm primarily taking this class to expand my literacy in the field of wine. It's my drink of choice these days (thanks, business school) and I'd like to learn more about how it's made, who drinks it and why. Understanding wine through the lens of business is an added plus; as the professor mentioned in class, wine is just another product "prism" through which we can think about industries and trends. As a soon-to-be product manager, I also see this as a great opportunity to exercise my product-based problem solving and strategic thinking skills. Finally, I love wine and am excited to drink it during class.

Why I am taking this class - Tommaso Cariati

Growing up in Tuscany wine has always been part of my culture. From “painting” my water with it when I was a kid to stumping on grapes to make it - it’s been an almost daily presence in my life. 

However, like most other Italians, my learning about wine has always been informal. Never from books or courses, but simply from quick overheard comments at dinner. My wine obsessed father almost always orders the house red and his comments never go beyond “good” or “barely drinkable” (but always drinkable…). And whilst it is known broadly which wines are good or bad - from famous Sassicaia Bolgheri or Antinori Chianti to the Luce Super Tuscan and even a couple of the most famous french ones - there is no “technical” knowledge of grape types or production processes like I have found in the US. 

The first time this struck me was on my first trip to the local Bevmo. Never had I seen before wine divided by grape type. Even the most sophisticated wine shops in Italy always arrange wine strong or weak, red or white, cheap or expensive. In such a simplistic way that almost assumes that wine is a daily ritual, like buying bread. Not an extensive process of research, purchasing, experiencing and learning.

I am taking this course because I want to learn more what is behind this amazing part of my culture. I want to learn the ins and outs, the technicalities and details of a part of me that is now a global booming business. Do people everywhere in the world like wine for the same reasons I do? Is it also a daily ritual for them? But also, what makes this huge business go around? And why, frankly, does the house red in Florence taste better than a $50 bottle in Palo Alto?

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).

Why am I taking this class? - Ashley Wu

From my first job as a Starbucks barista to my last job setting up partnerships between food & beverage companies and the Gates Foundation, I've been interested in the way that nourishment acts as a force for community. Though I am no wine connoisseur, like many others in the class, wine has always been at the table during great memories of bonding between family and friends.

I'm also interested in wine because, as a category, it drives innovations in food technology. For instance, because securing authenticity and certifying provenance matters so much in high-end wine, blockchain-based solutions applied to the food supply chain are often using wine as their first use case. Moreover, wine continues to resist commoditization in the otherwise low-margin food and beverage industry - despite being an extremely fragmented industry with many rogue actors producing sub-optimal quality products.

Why I'm taking this class

Wine didn't make its way into my life until my dad began drinking Napa Cabs during my high school years.  I remember picking up the bottle and reading the label's description: "hints of pencil lead, cedar, and tobacco..."  All of those things were elements I was taught not to ingest from the age of three and yet here was an expensive bottle of alcohol proudly boasting an infant's taboo buffet.  I poured a small amount into a glass and tried it.  I wasn't sure what I tasted but I did know it seemed nothing like the description.  Is that all just marketing nonsense? I wondered.

Fast forward to my early professional years, and I had slowly begun drinking wine alongside my coworkers and friends.  I still never picked up any of the taste or aroma descriptors but was able to distinguish that a Pinot tasted different from a Cab or a Syrah and which ones I liked most.  I had discovered a penchant for extremely expensive wines, particularly those with smoother tannins, but found this to be a problem for my limited budget.  My exposure to more budget friendly wines had multiple mediocre experiences that made me wonder if it was possible to get an enjoyable wine below $50.

Then, a few years ago, I saw the Somm documentary on Netflix.  My jaw dropped as three Master Sommelier candidates blind tasted a set of wines and used the exact same descriptions that I had always assumed was marketing mumbo-jumbo.  It seemed that there was indeed an almost underground world that existed in wine if you knew how to look for it.  The rich history and broad expanses of the industry impressed me, and I realized I wanted to know more.  As I began to learn more about the wine world, I realized that there was a shockingly minimal amount of ingredients involved: grapes, yeast, and wood (sometimes).  Yet people were capable of creating bottles that consumers would be willing to pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for, and all of it came down to process and business execution.

Even as I acknowledged the slim likelihood I ever find my way into the wine industry, I knew I wanted to this this course to peer behind the curtain and understand more. 

Why I am taking this class

I grew up in Belgium as the granddaughter of a beer brewer who also had a passion for French wines. Much to his chagrin, neither my mother nor her brother shared his enthusiasm. So as I grew older it became his personal mission to ensure that this would at least be fixed in the second generation. Many of his lessons became fond memories. I remember how appalled he was when he saw me drink a Corona with lime, how he taught me to swirl, smell and taste different wines at our weekly dinners, how he opened a 15 year old bottle of Bordeaux to instill an appreciation for aged wines, and how adamant he was about the importance of using the correct shape of glass when tasting any well-crafted beverage.

As I grew older, I started to appreciate how wine can bring a certain elegance to situations. Any team or client dinner during my time in consulting wasn't complete without a long discussion about people's wine preferences, and, while I had acquired the tools to enjoy wine, I realized I was woefully unaware of how tastes and flavors differ across grapes and regions. As part of this class, I am hoping to gain this knowledge and learn how to better communicate about the wines I like.

Another important aspect of the class, is the ability to be able to see a holistic view of all parts of a business. Given my own entrepreneurial aspirations, it will be incredibly valuable to cover everything from the product, to regulations, to economics, to marketing etc. through the lens of a single industry. And if there was one industry to pick, wine would definitely make it to the top of my list.

My Journey with Wine

Unlike some other classmates, wine was rarely present in my family's house. With little exposure growing up, I didn't learn to appreciate the beverage until later in life (after progressing past the boxed and steeply discounted varieties).

After college, I increasingly found myself surrounded by people passionate about wine. My boss in New York was an avid collector from France, who considered the bits of wisdom he would share with me fair exchange for the late nights I spent in the office on his behalf (sometimes this was upgraded to a bottle from the ~1,000 bottle cellar he managed to fit into a Tribeca apartment). After moving to the Bay Area, my San Francisco roommate committed himself to building an amateur collection in our apartment. Through these interactions, I began to pick up the basics of varietals, regions, etc. (enough at least to convince my college friends I knew what I was doing).

While I thought I had made progress, when asked to help assess a potential investment in a global wine brand in my previous job I was quickly overwhelmed trying to understand supply / demand dynamics, the value chain, branding, and distribution. I learned through this experience how much I still had to learn about not only wine as a beverage, but also the dynamics and economics of the broader industry.

I look forward to exploring these topics over coming weeks over delicious wine.

Why I am taking this class

Although quite naive about wine, I am not ignorant of the universal truth that wine knowledge immediately grants one a certain gravitas at any fine dining situation. The same way that the expert in pro football receives a certain level of deference during a Super Bowl watching party, the member of the group who can expound the benefits of the vintage and grape on the menu ensures his/her almost instant status advancement. While I am not seeking to move to the front of the line with the Somms or former chefs, I would like to at least be able to join in the conversation. Although I am not usually up to date on the starting lineups of NFL teams that compete in the Super Bowl, since I played football growing up, I know the rules, the positions and can usually catch up on the current state, thanks to this background and foundation.
I want to be able to speak intelligently regarding the terroir, the regional differences, the characteristics of key years and at least have the basic fruits and nuts that are used to describe the taste of wine.
However, as with anything in my adult life, I find that I grasp concepts better when I understand the business reasons behind the functioning of the industry. Just as my GMIX in Australia helped me gain a greater appreciation for surfing, by working at a surfboard factory, I know that the guest speakers and lectures will bring greater depth to my understanding of why wine is produced using a certain process or why distribution follows specific patterns.

Why am I taking this class? - Emilio Diaz Cotroneo

Wine is probably the most popular alcoholic drink in Argentina. Whether you are having lunch with your family on Sundays, having an 'asado' with friends, or just watching a movie at home; there will always be a bottle of wine next to you...or many.

My parents got me into wine in my early teenage years. Everyone says that wine is an "acquired" taste. However, I recall falling in love for it pretty young. It is hard to think of a family meal without enjoying a bottle of wine altogether.

As I grew up, I got more interested in the "world of wine" itself. I started going to different tasting, getting together with friends to try rare bottles, and made several trips to vineyards in Mendoza and Chile with friends to learn more about this intriguing world.

However, I had never thought about the business side of wine or how the industry works outside South America. I think that taking this class is the perfect opportunity to learn about wine through a different point of view, with a much more global perspective.

Why I'm taking this class - Tammie Chen

I have worked in finance for a few years, and wine has always been one of the topics at dinner that can bring people together, regardless of citizenship, age, gender, and race. I appreciate how with simple production techniques, various grape varieties can yield vastly different tasty juice, while serving the common goal – that is to create pleasure and common grounds connecting people much like what sports can do. In order to learn more about tasting wine rather than simply drinking it, I have taken on a series of WSET training. Understanding wine in a more systematic approach allows wine to linger longer in the memory rather than just the taste. Dinking wine therefore has become more of an appreciation of art of the nature.

I’ve also had friend’s family winery impacted by the massive Napa fire most recently. During this specific event, I’ve learnt so much about business branding and strategies, and leadership in difficult times. Witnessing my friend rebuilding the winery, strategically making decisions about the barrels in smoke, and relentless working with media and Wine websites for brand recovery has been an enlightening business case in point. For that, I’m grateful.

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!

Why am I taking this Class? - Carlos Schechtmann

Whether out for dinner or at home with family, your significant other, or friends, I’ve found wine to be a nice way to relax and have conversations with others. Growing up, wine was frequently at the table or something ordered at dinner and although I didn’t really like the taste until much later, I found myself asking questions about what the vintage or varietal meant. As a consumer of a product, I think it’s important to know the story of where the product comes from and how it is made and while I’ve been interested in wine for some time, it’s candidly not one that I am well versed in. I had heard of the three-tier system that was in the case last week and a couple of the bigger wine producers that are in the syllabus but much of the remaining text in the case and in Around the World in 80 Sips was completely new knowledge that I found informative and interesting.

At its simplest level, I am taking this class because I enjoy drinking wine and would like to learn more about not only the history of wine but also the landscape and business of running a wine business. I think that there is much to be learned about how the industry came together, as well as the economics of the business, that are important lessons whether or not I’m working in the wine industry or another one after the GSB. I also would like to come away with a better understanding of what makes certain wines taste a certain way and what drives the economics of a bottle of wine, including price points and margins throughout the value chain. Compared to a few years ago, I’m much more likely to order a glass or bottle of wine today with meals than I was previously. I think that the person making the choice for a group has responsibility to make an informed choice and that is another one of the reasons why I am taking this class.

Aging with Wine

I have personal and professional reasons for taking this class. On a personal note, I have always found wine fascinating and elusive. An agricultural product that can be both a luxury good, and a commodity product. I’ve puzzled over the complex characteristics that drive these differences as I experienced them through different relationships in my life. As an undergraduate, I stared dumbfounded at a plastic bag being pulled from a cardboard box, and thought, "Can this actually be wine?" As a new college graduate, I remember the special feeling as my parents unearthed a bottle they had been saving for a special occasion. As a new analyst at my consulting firm, I sat in awe of the mastery with which the Partner on my project effortlessly weighed varietals and vintages to order the perfect bottle for our team dinner. Wine has always been present in some way throughout my life (and in a way has aged with me… or I with it?), and I’m eager to learn more about the way in which this magical product shapes the rest of the world.

On a professional level, my favorite problems to solve are those of complex supply chains, and in recent years I have focused my efforts on the global food & agriculture supply chain to improve production and distribution and minimize waste in order to more effectively feed the world. I’m excited to take a deep look at wine, a specific and complex agricultural product with an even more complex supply chain. I believe there are many parallels to be dawn between wine and other types of food products –regulation, growing patterns, climate-induced constraints, technological innovation, marketing, and many more. I think this class will influence my understanding of the nuances of agricultural supply chains and will improve the work I’m able to do after the GSB.

Why I'm Taking This Class - Robert Dunlevie

Having glanced at the posts already made on the blog, it would appear I'm not alone in my motivation for taking this class: wine has played an important role in my relationship with my family (and parents especially) and I'd thus like to learn more about it.  My parents always made sure alcohol wasn't out in the open around the house when I was younger, as I was the youngest of four and they didn't want to normalize drinking in front of their kids.  The exception to this unwritten rule, however, was drinking a glass of red wine with dinner, typically on weekends or special occasions.

My earliest memory of this exception being introduced was when my family moved to England when I was 8 years old.  The house we lived in had a large cellar where my father would store various old world wines that he collected.  On occasion, he would allow me to walk through the cellar with him.  While I was obviously not allowed to drink any of these wines at the ripe age of 8, I remember being awed by the grandeur of a cellar filled with various bottles and labels stacked in racks perceived to be endlessly tall.

As I entered adult life and was permitted to have a glass of wine with dinner, my interest in it grew quickly.  I can't remember a dinner I've had with my parents in the last 5 years in which we haven't shared a bottle of wine, and I believe that the communal aspect of sharing a bottle has helped our relationship stay so strong over the years.  That said, I'm typically one to simply drink what is put in front of me, and rarely ask questions about the wine I'm drinking.  It isn't out of lack of interest; I simply don't know enough to ask the right questions about the wine I'm drinking but wish I did.  It's this desire that drew me to this course; I hope to learn about the world of wine and gain a good understanding of what distinguishes different wines and varietals beyond surface level facts.  My goal for this class is to establish a strong foundation of both the wine world and what separates different great wines from each other so that I can better enjoy the wines that have played a crucial role in my strong relationships with my family.