The world of wine is global, or as nearly global as it is possible to get.
But wine itself is distinctly local. Much more than most consumer products
wine is defined by a certain place and time. Wine enthusiasts therefore
need to learn to "think global, drink local." It is important, there fore,
to learn how to become an expert on a particular wine region.
Your first job in this class, then, is to choose a wine identity. You
should select a wine region and make this the "local" in your global/local
understanding of wine. This is a fairly serious choice because you will be
expected to know all about your region including ...
-
Geography and climate;
-
Wine history;
-
Major sub-regions (AVAs, AOC, DOC etc);
-
Major wines and grape varietals;
-
Wine industry characteristics and trends;
-
Major players and personalities;
-
The buzz: most important current problems, issues, threats and opportunities.
Please submit a one-paragraph
"elevator speech" about your wine identity by 4pm on Friday, September 11.
Explain what region you have chosen, why the region is interesting and why
it is interesting to you.
Submit hard copy (no electronic or email versions accepted) to the
green
folder in my mailbox in the
IPE
office (Mc213M).
Here is the
basic list. Choose a country or region to begin with and then try to drill
down as appropriate
France /
Bordeaux
France /
Burgundy
France /
Languedoc
France /
Rhone
France /
Champagne
France /
Alsace
Germany
Italy /
Tuscany & Umbria
Italy / The
North (Piedmont, Alto Adige, Friuli)
Italy / The
South & Sicily & Sardinia
Greece
Portugal
Spain
Great
Britain
Russia,
Eastern Europe & Central Asia (especially Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria or
Moldova)
Northern
Africa & Middle East (especially Israel or Lebanon)
United
States / California
United
States / Oregon
United
States / Washington
Canada
Argentina
Chile
South
Africa
Australia
New Zealand
Asia
(Japan, China, India or another Asian country).
These materials are intended for the exclusive use of my students at
the University of Puget Sound. No other use is authorized.
