Day 2: Less time for Group Work, but Fascinating Study of Wine Industry

Right now as I write this, it's 3:57 AM local time, but don't worry. I've slept quite a bit before this. Last night I had pasta and string beans for dinner (don't worry, I'm eating my three square meals! Toast for breakfast, a tuna sandwich from the school cafeteria, and then this meal!) but was so tired I plopped on the bed from about 9 o'clock. I set my alarm to wake up about 2 or 3 AM and so here I am. I took a shower and now am up to do a little work before taking a nap one more time before breakfast.

Anyhow ... yesterday, our group divided our group into smaller teams to research various aspects of the problem: market share, consumption data, alternative uses of grapes (my category), product development.

We didn't have much time to actually look at the problem and put together any conclusions, but during the day we had a lecture on the nature of entrepreneurship (not really related to the case study) and a fascinating brief on the nature of the wine industry. I was really happy when they brought up two wines I knew about, Krug (champagne) and Mouton Rotschild (Bordeaux wine known for its colorful painted labels).

There was also an enlightening (though not completely free of bias) documentary called "Mondovino" (world of wine) that looked at the conflict behind traditional winemakers and the growing industry of wine marketers and wine consultants who, more and more, are defining consumer tastes through their ranking systems and desire to put together not timeless wines but "wines which will earn higher rankings." One example was given of a Tuscany wine which, before being taken over by the Mondavis of California, had used to sell at 35 EUR. After a polishing up of the wine and some favorable review (#1 in the world?) the wine shot up in price to the astronomical 110 EUR ($140) -- granted, still less than the top crus of Bordeaux but an unprecedented increase in price.

Of course, this thing has happened in Japan, too, where shochu (sweet potato) liquors that had been drunk by locals for 3000 yen a bottle for so many years suddenly shot up (on the black market) to 30,000 yen a bottle. I've drunk that 30,000 a yen bottle (was able to buy it for 3000 yen through a monthly lottery), and can say assuredly that it is certainly NOT worth that much.

One day left to put together a report, a Power Point presentation and a one-minute sales pitch. I don't know how it's all going to fit together, but I suppose this will teach not self-reliance, but instead how to depend on the work of the others in your team. For those of us (including me) who are used to doing things on our own, it's a big leap of faith.

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LINK
Description of film (Wikipedia):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondovino

Review by Roger Ebert

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050512/REVIEWS/50504004/1023


Link to film home page (not verified, click at your own risk)
http://www.mondovinofilm.com/