Dinner Parties and Politics

The most obvious reason for taking this class is that I very much enjoy wine and want to learn more about it. I developed a taste for wine starting in college, when the $5 options available at the Walgreens down the street from my house were popular fixtures in our kitchen. Thankfully my tastes have evolved since then, though I know I have much more to learn about drinking and enjoying wine. I've discovered a bit more about what I like and what I don't , but I'm constantly surprised by new wines and varietals that challenge these notions.

I also very much enjoy cooking, and especially cooking for others. Throwing dinner parties has become one of my favorite activities at the GSB, and one I very much plan to continue into the so-called "real world." Many (all?) of these dinners include quite a bit of wine - my standard for shopping is about one bottle of wine per person (something I inadvertently revealed to my father when I was put in charge of shopping for a family dinner over the holidays. He was horrified and told me "Natalie, you and your friends might drink too much." Whatever, dad, you're not the boss of me). Anyway, I'm a novice at pairing wine and food in a thoughtful way, and I hope to learn more about that art in this class.

On a more serious note, my other motivation for taking this class is that I'm fascinated by the role that government and regulation can play in shaping industries both domestically and abroad. Regulation and other forms of government intervention are only going to become more powerful forces in many existing industries, including technology and transportation, in the coming years. And, there is probably no industry in the United States more fundamentally shaped by its regulatory regime than the alcohol industry. Therefore, I'm interested in learning more about the regulation in the wine industry, how it has shaped business models, and how it may change in the future.

Cheers!