Wine is political. Wine is the commingling of natural resources, agriculture, politics, science, class system dynamics, and so much more. If you want to get a sense of wine as an academic subject, the publisher Routledge has many titles, including The Routledge Handbook of Wine and Culture. This book’s collection of essays will have you rethinking what you know about wine. Especially intriguing is Marion Demossier’s essay “Climats and the Crafting of Heritage Value in Burgundy Terroir”. 

Because wine is political, we can’t ignore the detrimental effects of the current administration on almost every sector of the industry. Because wine is political, I recommend reading Erin Ortiz’s article written for Fractyll. At the intersection of wine and ICE raids, Erin’s article titled “Ice Protests Heated Up This Year, So Why Is The Climate Cooler In Napa Valley?” poses a question we can’t ignore. We know that Napa has become a bastion of money and privilege. In the article, Erin questions whether money and privilege have allowed Napa to escape some of the tactics used by the government.