The Idea of Wine
Wine is a simple thing. The idea of wine, however, is very complicated,
since it reflects both wine itself and wine's complex and dynamic social
and economic terroir of values, attitudes, and interests. Because wine
intersects social processes in so many ways, the question of which idea of
wine will prevail, or how the contractions between and among the different
ideas will be resolved or not, has important implications. This course
looks closely at the battle for the idea of wine with special attention to
its interdisciplinary aspects and conflicts and consideration of how the
globalization of wine has intensified the inherent conflicts.
CN Connections
core
Instructor
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Michael
Veseth, Robert G. Albertson Professor of International Political Economy
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Office:
Mc213M Phone: (253) 879 3720
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Email: Veseth@
ups.edu Webpage:
http://www2.ups.edu/faculty/veseth/
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Office Hours:
9-11 am on Mondays and Wednesdays and by appointment using the sign-up sheet posted outside my
office door.
Course Resources:
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Jancis Robinson (editor),
The Oxford Companion to Wine 3/e. Oxford University Press, 2006.
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Tyler Colman, Wine
Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters and Critics
Influence the Wines We Drink. University of California Press, 2008.
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Jean-Robert Pitte (translated
by M.B. DeBevoise), Bordeaux/Burgundy: A Vintage Rivalry.
University of California Press, 2008.
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The Wine Economist blog:
WineEconomist.com
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Other readings posted on
"Daily Assignments" page of The Idea of Wine Home website:
http://www2.ups.edu/faculty/veseth/vino/index.htm
Overview
Wine is very
simple; it is the fermented juice of ripe grapes. It is what happens when
you leave crushed grapes alone with the wild yeasts that naturally cling
to them. It almost makes itself in its most basic form.
The idea of
wine, however, is very complicated and hotly contested. How should wine
be made, where, and by whom? How should wine be consumed and on what
terms? How should it taste? What does it mean? Who should control its
meaning? To paraphrase the Chairman on the Japanese television show
Iron Chef, whose idea of wine will reign supreme?
How can a
simple product raise such seemingly difficult questions? The short answer
is that wine is many things to many people. It is an agricultural product
but it can also be an industrial product. Its production is a combination
of ancient tradition and modern science. It is a source of livelihood to
some, of pleasure to many, and of status and self-esteem to an increasing
number of people who craft an identity from their mastery of the rituals
of wine and gain status from wine’s symbolic importance. It is treated as
food in some societies, a basic necessity, and as alcohol in others, taxed
and regulated as controlled substance. Wine is even the blood of Christ,
or is transformed into it, I am told, in the course of the Catholic mass.
Making sense
of the battle for the idea of wine will require us to attempt to
understand the problem using many of the disciplines of the liberal arts,
especially history, geography, natural science, economics, politics and
sociology.
Because wine
intersects social processes in so many ways, the question of which idea of
wine will prevail, or how the contractions between and among the different
ideas will be resolved or not, has important implications. This is
especially true today, in an age of wine globalization, when market forces
intensify the contradictions and magnify the gains and losses. Studying
the battle for the idea of wine, therefore, promises to provide insight
into broader social, political and economic issues.
Course Objectives:
These are the
objectives for students in this course.
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To become aware of the social
significance of wine, its history and geography;
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To acquire a basic
understanding of viticulture and the sensory appreciation of wine as is
necessary to appreciate the issues relating to wine and society;
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To understand the complex
social construction of wine as both agricultural produce and industrial
product, how its production entails both traditional craft and modern
science, how its use embodies issues of health and nutrition, individual
and society, and the construction of individual, social and national
identity.
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To understand how economic
forces influence the production and consumption of wine.
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To apply this understanding
to an analysis of how the forces of globalization magnify the tensions
inherent in wine’s multiple identities and different roles in society,
with special emphasis on interdisciplinary aspects and tensions.
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To apply this understanding
to the analysis of a particular problem or issue related to wine and
society, with special emphasis on interdisciplinary aspects and
tensions.
Course Organization:
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The Battle for the Idea of
Wine. We begin with an examination of wine’s many identities and
the interests that are attached to each idea of wine. We will pay
particular attention to the tensions between the idea of wine as a
natural product and wine as manufactured good. We will consider how the
idea of wine is created in societies and how it evolves. Students will
be introduced to the principles of the sensory evaluation of wine and
have the opportunity to evaluate wine selected to illustrate key aspects
of the wine debate
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Old World versus New
World: Different ideas of wine are often associated with the Old
World and the New World. We will probe this dichotomy to see if it holds
and consider a number of issues We will study the 2004 film Mondovino
as an example the key issues in the wine debate.
3.
Globalization and the Idea of Wine. The course ends
with a reconsideration of the themes raised by Mondovino in the
context of intense global competition for the idea of wine. We will study
the changing world wine market, the collapse of demand in the Old World,
the rise of demand and production in Asia, and the European Union emerging
wine policy regime.
Your Wine Identity
You will
choose a “Wine Identity” early in the course. The identity will be
associated with a particular wine terroir and your job will be to
learn everything there is to know about wine in that country or region,
including the grapes and wines, the social and market conditions, and
especially the key current problems and issues. You are responsible for
bringing this knowledge to our class discussions and to apply it to the
mid-term essay (and, at your discretion, the final paper).
Student Responsibilities
Students are
responsible for attending all class meetings, participating responsibly in
class discussions and completing all class assignments. Two
outside-of-class events are scheduled in addition to normal class
meetings. Students are encouraged but not required to attend these
programs. Each student will be assigned a Wine Identity and is responsible
for learning all about that identity and accurately representing the
associated interests and attitudes for class purposes.
Students will
be evaluated on their performance in the following areas.
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Attendance and participation.
(10 percent)
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Examinations. Two blue
book/take home essay examinations will test your knowledge of the
concepts, principles and terminology developed in the course, with
special emphasis on interdisciplinary aspects and tensions. (Each exam
is 20 percent)
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Mid-term Paper. Students will
write a 2000 word essay that considers the questions raised by the film
Mondovino, especially in light of their Wine Identities. (20
percent)
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Final Research paper.
Students will write a 3000 word research paper on a relevant question or
issue, with special emphasis on interdisciplinary aspects and tensions.
(30 percent)
These materials are intended for the exclusive use of my students at
the University of Puget Sound. No other use is permitted.
