Wine-ing and Dining

I decided to take Global Dynamics of the Wine Industry in order to gain experience that complements my background in food, allows me to gain knowledge and expertise on working in a regulated industry and edifies my personal knowledge on wine. I also love beverages of all kinds, specifically coffee, tea, nut milks, kombucha, sparkling water and wine. I really enjoy the ritual of drinking beverages throughout the day and how drinking a beverage can set the tone for your day (a latte in the morning, an afternoon tea, a La Croix during class, kombucha after a workout, wine with dinner, etc). 

As a professional in the food space I've been consistently interested in understanding the similarities and dissimilarities between the supply chain for a specialty food importer (my last company) versus a wine brand. This stems from an interest and passion for agricultural products and functional foods. Though wine, grapes and raisins are sold and marketed very differently, I am compelled to understand the differences that create distinctly different end products from the same seeds.

From a personal standpoint I have frequently dreamt of playing the role of sommelier to friends and family. I want to be able to pick a nice wine off a list to drink alongside a beautiful dinner and to be the friend that always brings a great bottle of wine to a party. 

Lastly, and perhaps the reason why the class is most appealing to me, I would like to gain a better sense of how to navigate working in an industry that has a lot of regulations. Together, with another MBA 1, I am working on a beverage concept in the cannabis business space. Long term, I believe that the sale of cannabis products will closely resemble alcohol with regard to regulation. As result, I think there is a lot to learn from wine, particularly how it is distributed and marketed that could lend a significant amount of insight into building my business.

Super excited to expand my wine expertise with great people over this quarter!

With Love, Jess

Turning Whiskey Into Wine

I spent the two years between undergrad and GSB working at Kings County Distillery, New York City’s oldest operating distillery. I learned all about malting and mash bills, fermenting and distilling and everything in between. I could wax poetic about moonshine and bourbon, and I gave distillery tours to beginners and professionals alike.

However, I never learned about wine or beer.

Many people were dismayed with my asymmetry of knowledge. How could I easily describe the different geographies of whisk(e)y making, but know next to nothing about other types of alcohol? When it came to wine, in particular, all that I could do was say what I liked and did not like once I tasted it.

From my perspective, the wine world seemed much more challenging to get into than the whiskey//spirits world—there seemed to be an almost exclusive culture about it, which was intimidating, even for someone who worked in the industry. Of course, much of this was in my head, and I’ve resolved to learn much more about wine. It feels like a life skill.

Fluency in any sort of language makes you a more textured character. As an undergrad English major, I have a deep affinity for language, and I’m excited to learn how to put words to what I taste. In particular, I’m highly value precision and accuracy of language, and this class seems like a helpful opportunity to engage in that dynamic.

Plus, this kind of stuff is fun. Why else would I have spent two years being the least cool person in a very cool craft whiskey distillery?

The Wine King of Trittenheim

My interest in wine (real wine...I'm looking at you Barefoot Bubbly) can be attributed to my parents, particularly my father. And when I say they love wine, I mean it. My dad was crowned the "Wine King" of Trittenheim, Germany during their annual wine festival (as an American). 

I spent many afternoons growing up sampling grape juice and running through vineyards, and eventually, sampling the fermented kind myself on afternoon winery trips. Wine was featured prominently at the dinner table. And these days when I visit home, I most look forward to my time in the kitchen with my parents, helping with dinner, and of course, enjoying a glass (or two...or three...) of wine. 

Consequently, wine has become a small hobby of mine. There are always new tastes to discover, new ways to pair it with food, new wineries to visit. It satisfies the history nerd, the foodie, and the artist in me. Most importantly, however, it's a hobby best shared with friends.

Why this class then? Besides the obvious answer (I love wine), I'm excited to learn about the business of wine. Visiting a little local winery doesn't explain how and why Kendall Jackson has been featured prominently on about every shelf and every restaurant menu I've ever perused. It doesn't explain where the market is going (more consolidation?) or what it looks like, financially, to grow, process, bottle, and distribute wines. Ultimately, I'm looking to build a better background understanding of the industry itself. Perhaps, it'll spark a desire to get involved in the business i(now or in the faraway future). But certainly, it'll provide a better intellectual foundation for my continued discovery and enjoyment of the world of wine.

Cheers!

Making Something Out of Nothing

With my background producing concerts and managing artists for 10 years, I'm adept at hustling things into existence out of sheer force of will.  Nothing about music or art has a clear roadmap, and often there's a gap in vision and understanding between the creative team and their funders, or worse, their audience!  Sometimes, it takes just the right descriptive turn of phrase to bridge the gap between these groups.  Finding that phrase, telling your story, and enchanting your audience—these skills are the currency that separates successful cultural impresarios from poor, starving artists.

It has struck me over the years that the wine industry is also buoyed by the stories that surround it.  Upon acquiring a beloved bottle direct from the vintner, who hasn't delighted in sharing the tale of its purchase during a subsequent dinner party?  Does the taste of the wine rely on the beauty of the estate, or the charm of the winemaker, or the story of the Italian great grandfather who brought the vine trimmings over from Tuscany in a coffee can as he escaped the war (it doesn't even matter which one)?  Probably not!  But it all adds to the enjoyment of the wine, the socialization around it, and ultimately the rituals that surround the sale, purchase, and consumption of this beloved cultural good.

My goal in taking this course is to get to the bottom of how these stories are created.  In particular: how wine brands are crafted and conveyed to consumers, how distinctions between wine regions become more pronounced, and how the language around tasting conveys the satisfaction of the experience of drinking.  I suspect I may be able to transfer most of these lessons back to the music business.  I've seen first-hand the tragedy of a beautiful work of art laid to waste by an audience too unfamiliar, uncomfortable, or unprepared to enjoy it.  Let's work together this quarter to save future delicious creations from going down the drain.

Excited to learn

My interest in this class stems primarily from a personal interest in wine. The more I know about the wine I'm drinking, and wine in general, the more I enjoy it. This class gives me the opportunity to not only learn more about wine and how to taste it, but also the global industry that produces it.

Growing up in the Bay Area allowed me to visit Napa with relative frequency. Every time I visited a winery, I was struck by the sheer number of decisions that go into creating a vintage and the nuance in taste that each of these decisions can create. I see this as a commonality across many forms of art - taking a process and pouring intense focus and effort into fine tuning every part of that process to create a work of art.

I've also been struck by the variation in the process - from mass producers to organic producers to fine "ultra-premium" producers. Each of these production methods has a tangible impact on the taste and on the emotional experience a consumer has with the wine. The summer before school I did a champagne tasting tour in France, and was surprised by the impact of seeing the facilities had on my experience with each champagne. Seeing the large champagne houses of fancy labels actually detracted from my enjoyment - seeing how automated their process had become detracted from my experience with the wine. On the other hand, the image of the family who still turn the champagne bottles by hand and have run this champagne house for generations stuck in my mind with every taste and greatly enhanced my experience with the wine.

I am eager to learn more about the industry as a whole, and cannot wait to see how this new understanding helps my appreciation of wine evolve.