Why I'm taking this class

I grew up in a wine drinking household, albeit wine from Costco.  While I had the opportunity to try a few premium wines and visit a vineyard or two over the past few years, my appreciation was limited.  This fall my family was invited to a top California winery for a tasting (arranged, ironically, after bumping into a very old family friend, who happened to be the president of the winery, at last year's Alumni Challenge).  The visit was a radically new experience: flavors and smells I didn't even know exists.  But beyond the new tastes, I was intrigued by the hyper-premium nature of the production, the limited member-only distribution, and the long-game finances of the vineyard.  I saw this class as a great first step in better understanding the wine business, from this winery to the Costco cases in our pantry.