Why I'm taking this class

For me, food and drink have always been at the center of my family traditions: the hundreds of pierogis my Polish cousins and I make each Christmas Eve, the recipes dating back to the diner my grandparents owned in Brooklyn, the Slivovitz, or Polish Brandy my relatives have brewed for generations. Consequently, food and wine have always been synonymous for me with bringing people together. 

Beyond my personal affinity for food, wine and its cultural importance, I am interested in taking this class because I’m fascinated by the industry. As a California resident who often takes for granted the bounty of diverse and amazing wines available to us, I am interested to look at the wine industry from the perspective of the global economy. I’m interested in learning why and how certain wine regions have emerged. I’m interested in how global warming is putting pressure on the wine industry and how different countries are responding to this challenge. I’m interested in how Millennials' changing consumption of wine and alcohol more generally is impacting an industry where supply has always outpaced demand. 

The WSJ recently reported that America drank less wine for the first time in 25 years (https://www.wsj.com/articles/america-drinks-less-wine-for-first-time-in-25-years-11578927641). I look forward to understanding the trends and shifts in the industry that led up to this point in time and how we envision the wine industry evolving from here.