Why I'm Taking This Class

After graduating from college, I was fortunate to go on a trip to France with my father for several weeks (in large part to go wine tasting). We spent most of our time in Beaune and met with small wine producers all around Burgundy (and found a new favorite white wine from Meursault). We also had the chance to go up to Reims to taste at both large Champagne producers (Pommery) and much smaller, independent Champagne producers. It was an unforgettable experience and sparked an ever-evolving interest in wine. After I got back from that trip, I went down the rabbit hole of both drinking wine more frequently and watching every wine documentary/movie I could find (A Year in Burgundy, Somm, Bottle Shock, etc., etc.), often pairing the wines with a new movie. After seeing how passionate the producers in Burgundy/Reims were (and the supporting documentaries/movies), I have been curious to learn more about the business side of wine, to understand how those producers are able to both pursue their passions and financially sustain themselves.

            After graduating college (and my trip to France), I started work as a management consultant (almost exclusively working on retail and consumer goods projects). Several different times over my 3.5 years in consulting, I narrowly missed the opportunity to serve a wine/liquor conglomerate (which was a major disappointment). When I saw this class on the electives list, I knew I was going to put in high on my priority list (and hoped the bad luck of missing out on consulting projects would mean I would have better luck getting into this class).  I’m excited to put some practical knowledge (both wine industry and tasting) behind my personal enjoyment of wine (and based on the first class, I think this class will absolutely fulfill that goal).