Why I'm Taking This Class

            For the last three years, wine has framed my daily life. During year I spend living in St. Helena, I drove through vineyards every morning and smelled the yeasty fermentation in the fall. Master Sommelier Bob Bath taught me the rules of pairing wine and food, and first introduced me to the nostalgic, sensory experience of tasting wine (it was a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that reminded me of a beach ball). Once a week before class at the Culinary Institute of America, I would visit a new winery and taste through their (typically Cabernet-driven) lineup. I began to learn the fundamentals of drinking wine thoughtfully, while witnessing the mind-boggling levels of art and science devoted to each bottle. A year later, when I began working as a pastry cook at the restaurant SingleThread in Healdsburg, I saw wine in a new light. I worked side-by-side with the sommelier team to create a food wine pairing that would elevate the guest’s experience: each item alone was wonderful, but the combination was transcendent. I moved away from the fuller-bodied reds of Napa and started appreciating the elegant Pinot and nuanced Chardonnays of Sonoma; I also studied for first my Intro and later my Certified Sommelier Exam. However, even as a I grew as taster, student, and chef, I felt that there was a gap in my understanding of wine. No amount of anecdotal conversations with winemakers or sommeliers could paint the full picture of the business that I, as an ex-consultant, craved. The economics of the process and the strategy of the decision-making were behind closed doors. I am taking this class to open those doors and more thoroughly understand this business. The wine world is at an interesting crossroads in its economic journey, and between the potential of new markets and fears of fiscal policy or environmental damage, there has never been a more exciting time to study wine. Moreover, following my time at the GSB, I plan to return to the restaurant industry, where food and wine are intertwined. I hope to use my learnings from this course to be a savvy business-owner in this adjacent space, as well as to foster growth and preserve value in an industry I cherish so deeply.