BUS 252 F / IGC 252 Sec.

102 Fall 2023

WINE BUSINESS & MARKETING

Tue 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM

NOTE ON SECTION
Credits: 3 after final registration in this course and
Hours: 45 section, a student is not allowed to
Instructor: Dario Parenti switch to or attend a different section.
E-mail: dario.parenti@lorenzodemedici.it

COURSE DESCRIPTION

How is wine sold? Why are certain wines available worldwide, while others remain well-kept secrets? We
explore the business and marketing of wine, with a special focus on Italian wines and on the U.S. market.
Topics include sourcing, shipment chains and trading channels, and market impact. Includes business
simulations and a student-created start-up or marketing project to develop the skills necessary for those
interested in working in the wine and beverage industry.

COURSE PREREQUISITES

BUS 210 Principles of Marketing, or BUS 130 Introduction to Business, or BUS 195 Foundations of
Management, or equivalents; or concurrent enrollment in Two Italies Program.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

● know the various facets of wine business from production to consumption

● understand how to connect the different topics learned through the semester and, therefore, stand on
a solid starting point when eventually entering a wine career
● know wine trade, focusing on business planning, development and marketing, and understand the
trading dynamics of Italian wines
● demonstrate a better understanding of different Italian wines and regions and their ideal trading
channels and consequences on costs and pricing
● have a working knowledge of the wine business from top to bottom

COURSE GRADING

The grading components in this course are divided into the following percentages:

25% Class Participation

15% Oral Presentation
30% Midterm Exam
30% Final Project or Final Exam

The LdM grading scale is based on the following standard point system:

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 93-100= A 87-89 = B+ 77-79 = C+ 60-69 = D
90-92 = A- 83-86 = B 73 -76 = C 0 -59 = F
80-82 = B- 70-72 = C-

STUDENT ASSESSMENT

Students will be assessed through:

CLASS PARTICIPATION
Given the nature of the course, it is important for students to contribute regularly and productively to
class discussions and activities. These are grounded in assigned readings, class lectures, and visits.
Readings should be done prior to the class for which they are assigned; class notes should be well
organized; visits should be concluded by writing a quick note summarizing points of interest and
impressions. In-class contributions are a significant part of the CP grade. Positive contributions are those
that advance the discussion by formulating meaningful questions, presenting new ideas or insights, building
on classmates’ comments, or presenting counterpoints in a respectful way. Positive in-class contributions are
grounded in the notion of community. Students should listen respectfully when others talk, both in groups
and in class; reply to e-mail correspondence whenever appropriate; and contribute to group and class
dynamics by eliciting feedback from others and helping to keep the class discussions and/or group activities
on task. 
Please feel free to ask questions and clarify concepts. 

Consider that physical presence alone is NOT class participation.

Grades for participation are determined by the instructor and reference the following criteria:

● Attendance and Preparation

● Level of Engagement
● Contributions to Class Community

ORAL PRESENTATION
Each student will give 1 oral presentation about articles provided by the professor dealing with topics
relevant to the course, etc. Presentations will be assigned on a weekly basis. Students shall read those articles
and report on them in class in a critical way. These oral presentations should be educational and
interesting for the other students, so please ensure that you develop the topic well and present it well.

A simple reading from notes or directly from the article will not be accepted. For presentations, students
are to use PowerPoint or a similar program in order that other students may take notes. Precise instructions
will be handed out by the teacher during the second class.

Presentations will be graded as follows:

● Information accuracy (35%): organization of the whole presentation content (opening, body,
closing)
● Information development (20%): use of visual tools, videos, statistics, extra information article-
related
● Audience participation (10%): audience engagement, quality of Q&A
● Presentation skills (35%): stance, poise, movement, eye contact, gestures, vocal delivery, energy
conviction, language

MIDTERM EXAM
The Midterm Exam will require students to give proof of higher learning skills, as in: apply, analyze,
synthesize and critically evaluate concepts and themes from course content. It will be evaluated according to
the following criteria:
● Questions: Students will answer 3-5 open ended questions
● Study guide: slides of classes, videos and class materials.
● Reading: assigned chapters of texts
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Midterm Exam will be graded using the following criteria:

● Define specific concepts and theories with accuracy

● Provide proper examples to support each answer
● Logically connect concepts and theories
● Use appropriate terminology
● Use proper syntax, grammar, and spelling.

Grades of the exams will also be based on the following guidelines: 1. Is the answer well organized, with an
introduction, main points, and a conclusion? 2. Is the answer well written? 3. Does the answer contain the
appropriate and relevant information from class materials? 4. Does the answer demonstrate a full
understanding of the relevant concepts and theories? 5. Is the student able to develop a personal perspective
on and insight into the information received?

FINAL GROUP PROJECT

Students must produce either a business start-up proposal (including creation of a wine portfolio for a
specific market), or a Marketing plan designed around a specific market or range of products.
Students will work in groups. A handout with full details and requirements will be distributed during the
second class. This project is a combination of research analysis and evaluation as well as creativity. The
instructor will approve the subject of each group project. The groups will do some original research to
support their proposal. Students will work in groups. The instructor reserves the right to assign members to
the teams, and cultural diversity within the groups is highly recommended. Each team will present its report
to the class on December 13th (last class). Each presentation should last about 20 minutes. Students will use
PowerPoint for the presentation. Students are encouraged to bring pertinent visual props and/or graphic
software. The project will be judged based on the problem solutions, innovative ideas and work distribution.
Showing poor preparation/interest in the project and related assignments will very negatively affect your
contribution and project grade.

Remember that the dates of tests and exams CANNOT be changed for any reason, so please organize
your personal schedule accordingly.

Students with learning disabilities who may need special provisions during exams are required to contact
their LdM Advisor or LdM Dean of Students (see the Academic Regulations).

LDM TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

All courses at LdM creatively and effectively incorporate active learning strategies into teaching. In a course
focused on active learning, teachers are invested in students’ success, and students are truly engaged in the
learning process—they grapple with the course material by working collaboratively on problems, and are
constantly processing what they are learning.
In LdM courses, the learning process is promoted through critical thinking, effective communication, and
hands-on experience. Students are asked to think critically, in order to boost their understanding and
contribute to making their class into a “community of inquiry”. They are encouraged to give voice to their
ideas, fostering a skill they can apply in any setting, academic or not. Finally, LdM students learn by doing.
As a result, they develop their problem-solving skills, increase their retention rate, and enhance their
engagement.

COURSE READINGS/RESOURCES
A course reader is provided with excerpts from the following texts:

● P. Mora (2016). Wine Positioning: A Handbook With 30 Case Studies of Wine Brands and Wine
Regions in the World. Talence, France: Springer Int. Publishing

● Brostrom, G., & Brostrom, J. (2009). The Business of Wine: An Encyclopedia. Westport, CT:
Greenwood Press.
● Hall, C. M., & Mitchell, R. (2008). Wine Marketing: A Practical Guide. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

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 ● Gray, D. M. (2011). How to Import Wine: An Insider’s Guide. San Francisco: Wine Appreciation
Guild.
● Gallo, J., & Charters, S. (2014). Wine Business Management . Montreuil: Pearson France .

NOTE: the required readings will be available digitally via Dropbox or similar, along with additional
material (class slides, charts, assignments, etc).

The following Internet addresses help to further investigate the subject matter (always look for the English
version):

● www.winebusiness.com
● www.winefolly.com
● www.wine-searcher.com
● www.winespectator.com
● www.vivino.com
● www.delectable.com

Please note: Many of these sources can be found in the LdM library, via dell’Alloro, 13 (hours: 9:00 am -
8:00 pm M-F, check the library catalog for book, DVD, or CD titles).

COURSE SCHEDULE

Please keep in mind that the contents of individual classes may be slightly modified according to the
progress of the class.

LESSON TOPIC ACTIVITY ASSIGNMENTS DUE

1 Introduction to the course,
Sept, 5th syllabus, expectations, readings
and projects.

2 What is Wine? How is it made and Textbook:

Sept. 12th what are all its production Chapter 2, parag. 3: 25-32;
variables? Chapter 8: pp.105 -110
Bronstorm;
“Barrels and Oak
Alternatives” pp.22-25;
“Bulk Wine/Juice Trade”
pp. 35-37
3 The Italian appellation system: the Atkin, Johnson:
Sept. 19th concept of Terroir; how the “Appellation as an Indicator
appellation system is structured; of Quality”, International
Old World vs New World; main Journal of Wine Business
appellations and wine regions of Research, 2010
Italy and their range of prices.

4 Packaging and its importance in Bronstorm:

Sept. 26th the wine business: an important “Alternative Packaging” pp.
cost aspect and a fundamental 3-5;
marketing tool. “Closures” pp. 55-57;
“Cork Taint” pp. 67-68;
“Labels as Marketing” pp.
145-147
5 Placement I: how and through Textbook:
Oct. 3rd which trade steps do wines reach Chapter 14: pp. 193-196
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 the final shelf? Which are the Bronstorm:
costs that determine the final price “Restaurants”:
of a bottle of wine in a store or
pp. 202-205
restaurant and how do different
markets differ? Which are the “Retailers”: pp. 206-208”
main world markets? “Supermarkets”:
pp. 226-229
“Negociants”:
pp. 159-161
6 The U.S. wine market, the most Gray: pp.73-84; 238-240
Oct. 10th important in the world: its Bronstorm:
characteristics, how foreign wines
“Alcohol and Tobacco tax
get there. The three tier systems
and Trade Bureau” 2-3;
and the main professional roles in
the U.S. wine business. “Control States”: pp. 65-67;
“Direct Shipping”: pp. 77-
79;
“Distributors”: pp. 80-84
“Importers”: pp. 134-136
7 MIDTERM EXAM
Oct. 17th

OCTOBER 23-27 MIDTERM BREAK

8 Promotion. Different wines equals Mora, Livat (2013): “Does
Oct. 31st different promotion strategies: Storytelling Add Value to
main categories and how wineries Fine Bordeaux Wines?”
promote themselves. (Elsevier B.V.)

9 SITE VISIT Wine tasting at a

Nov. 7th Wine tasting: we will taste wines local wine bar
at a local wine bar to understand
differences wine differentiation.

10 An Overview of Marketing C. Michael Hall, R.

Nov. 14th Communication: wine magazines Mitchell, Wine Marketing. A
and ratings. Practical Guide, Routledge,
London, 2008, pp. 130-133.
R. Correira, “The Effects of
Wine Tourism Experiences
on Wine Brands”, in
Universal Journal of
Management, pp. 508-514,
2016
11 Wine and web: social medias and
Nov. 21st their influence, importance of
storytelling in the wine business,
online wine sale.

12 FIELD TRIP Winery visit

We will visit a local Tuscan

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Nov. 28th winery. Further details will be
given by the teacher in class.
13 Organic, sustainable, natural, Jones, Grandjean: “Creating
biodynamic: post-modern the Market for Organic
Dec. 5th winemaking approaches with a Wine: Sulfites, Certification,
strong market appeal. and Green Values”, Harvard
Business School, 2017

14 FINAL EXAM

Dec, 12th

NB: Should the instructor be unavailable, a substitute teacher will give the scheduled or a prepared
alternative lecture at the regular class time.
Make-up classes are always mandatory since they are part of the course program.

SITE VISITS/FIELD TRIPS

Two activities will be scheduled during the semester.

● A wine tasting in a wine bar in Florence (t.b.d.) will be organized on November 7 th in regular class
hours.

● A filed trip will be organized on November 28 th. It will be scheduled with departure from Florence at
2:45 pm and return in Florence at 5:45 pm, slightly beyond regular class time. You will visit a
winery in Tuscany (likely Poggio al Chiuso) to understand all the phases of wine making and to have
a view of the wine territory.

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS

None.

ADDITIONAL COURSE COSTS

For this course, students will spend EUR 75 for field trip, including transportation and site visit with
wine tasting.

The Lab fee must be paid after finalizing your add-drop and not later than the THIRD FRIDAY of the
semester (Sept 22), as stated in the academic regulations. Payment options:

a) at the frontdesk in Via del Giglio 4. Please, show the syllabus, pay by credit card and keep the
receipt, as proof for your professor or whoever provided you with the materials.

b) online at this address (https://pay.ldminstitute.com/?feature=start) by switching “$” to “€”,

inserting the correct amount as indicated above and specifying in the underneath box for what you are
paying (write the course code and section as per syllabus; you may add the name of your professor for
further clarity. If you pay cumulatively for two or more courses, specify each amount and code). Make
sure your name is inserted in the first screen, so to be associated with the due fee, even though somebody
else will be paying.

LDM COURSE POLICIES

ATTENDANCE
Attendance is mandatory for a successful learning experience at LdM.

See “Academic Regulations” for the exact number of absences allowed.

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Being a once-a-week class:

● If THREE classes are missed, the Final Grade will be lowered by 1 full grade.
● If FOUR or more classes are missed, the Final Grade will be an “F” and 0 Credits will be awarded.
● Missed in-class activities (including, but not limited to, quizzes, exams, etc.) cannot be made up and
will be graded F.

PUNCTUALITY
Punctuality is mandatory at LdM.

● Any tardiness, including leaving during class without notice, not showing up on time after the break,
or leaving early, will impact the participation grade and the Final Grade.
● Three late arrivals or the equivalent (10 to 20 minutes) will result in 1 full absence in the attendance
count.
● Missing more than 20 minutes will be considered the equivalent of 1 full absence.

Please note: It is the student’s responsibility to catch up on any missed work and to keep track of his or her
absence/tardiness.

ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSIONS
Late submissions of assignments, including papers, are not accepted. If an assignment is submitted after the
deadline, the grade for the assignment will be an F = 0 points, which may adversely impact the Final Grade
of the course.

SCHEDULING CONFLICT
If, on occasion, a class has a scheduling conflict with another class (due to a simultaneously scheduled make-
up class, site visit, etc.), the student is required to inform both instructors IN ADVANCE, allowing the two
instructors to share a written excuse for the class that will be missed. Even though an absence may be
excused, students must be aware that there is no possibility of making up any assessed in-class activities they
may have missed and no refund will be given for pre-paid visits/field trips. Keep this in mind in order to
make a responsible decision about which class to attend.

ETIQUETTE

● No food or drinking is allowed in museums; in religious places, shoulders and knees must be
covered.
● Classrooms are to be left neat and clean. Students must take proper care of available equipment and
materials and promptly report any damage or loss.
● Drinking/eating during class/site visits is not allowed. Electronic devices (cell phones, Smartphones,
iPods, iPads, laptops, etc.) must be switched off during class, unless otherwise instructed.

Please note: Instructors who find that a student’s behavior is inappropriate will seek to talk to him/her
immediately; if the behavior continues, the instructor is required to contact the appropriate LdM authority.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

✔ All student work will be checked for plagiarism.

According to the LdM Rules of Conduct, “Violations include cheating on tests, plagiarism (taking words or
texts, works of art, designs, etc., and presenting them as your own), inadequate citation, recycled work,
unauthorized assistance, or similar actions not explicitly mentioned.” Assignments and projects are specific
to individual courses; presenting the same work in two different courses (including previous courses) is
considered recycling and is unacceptable.

Why is plagiarism bad?

✔ It’s unethical.
✔ The student will fail the paper and possibly the course.

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 ✔ Professors are required to report it.
✔ The student will be put on academic probation.
✔ The student might even be dismissed from college.

Bottom Line: Students MUST cite the sources they use!

NB: Should issues of academic dishonesty arise the faculty member will adhere to the relevant LdM policy
and report any suspected cases to the LdM Dean of Students for disciplinary review.

For a definition of and advice on how to avoid plagiarism, see Plagiarism.org/.

USEFUL STUDENT RESOURCES

INTERNAL RESOURCES
LdM Florence Library
Via dell’Alloro, 13
Librarians: Rolf Bagemihl e Arnaldo Albergo
Hours: 9:00 am - 8:00 pm M-F
No open shelf. Spacious reading room. Copies: 5¢ per page

ProQuest Central (Also accessible through LdM Web site under “LdM Library”)
● Online database of scholarly journal, magazine, and newspaper articles

Ebook Central (Also accessible through LdM Web site under “LdM Library”)
● Online database of e-books

Writing Counseling Service

● Free walk-in service for help with English grammar, citation, etc. This is very useful, especially for
those writing research papers. Check the pin boards for location and hours.

Computer Facility
Via del Giglio, 4 – Hours: 8:45 am - 9:30 pm M-Th; 8:45 am -8:00 pm F

LdM Printing and Scanning Center Tetriz

Via dell’Alloro, 14r – Hours: 8:30 am - 6:00 pm M-Th; 8:30 am - 4:00 pm F
● Students can bring material to print on a USB memory device or on a CD or DVD, or they
can e-mail their request to: tetriz@lorenzodemedici.it. Black-white: 5 cents/page; color: 15
cents/page. Scanning is free of charge.

EXTERNAL RESOURCES

Free Online Resources (gathered on the LdM Library homepage)

● Reliable and mostly scholarly resources in anthropology, archaeology, art & architecture, classics,
conservation, education, environmental science, epigraphy, fashion design, film, food & nutrition,
forensic psychology, history, holocaust studies, Italian language & literature, Jewish studies,
Medieval & Renaissance studies, music, numismatics, papyrus, philosophy, politics & government,
religious studies, women’s & gender studies.

Libraries in Italy (gathered on the LdM Library homepage)

● Important research libraries

University of Florence Library | Library Catalog

Via Micheli, 2 (Architecture). Hours: 8:30 am – 7:00 pm M-F
Piazza Brunelleschi, 4 (Language and Literature). Hours: 8:30 am – 7:00 pm M-F
Via della Pergola, 56 (Art History). Hours: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm M-F
Via S. Salvi, 12 (Psychology). Hours: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm M, W, F; 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Tu, Th
Piazza Brunelleschi, 4 (Philosophy). Hours: 8:30 am – 7:00 pm M-F
Via del Proconsolo, 12 (Anthropology). Hours: 8:30 am – 2:00 pm M, F; 8:30 am – 6:00 pm Tu, W, Th

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 Viale Morgagni, 67/a (Mathematics). Hours: 8:30 am – 6:00 pm M-Th; 8:30 am – 2:00 pm F
Via G. Bernardini, 6 (Sesto Fiorentino) (Sciences – Physics, Chemistry). Hours: 8:30 am – 6:00 pm M-
Th; 8:30 am – 2:00 pm F
Via delle Pandette, 2 (Social Sciences – Business, Economics, Politics). Hours: 8:30 am – 7:00 pm M-F
● Apply for daily library access: Access request

Biblioteca delle Oblate | Library Catalog

Via dell’Oriuolo, 24 – Hours: 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm M; 9:00 am – 7:00 pm Tu-F; 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Sat
-- Access: ID
● This is a public library with generous opening and computer hours.

Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze | Library Catalog

Piazza dei Cavalleggeri, 1 – Hours: 8:15 am – 7:00 pm M-F; 8:15 am – 1:30 pm Sat – Access: ID
● Houses modern books in all fields as well as many medieval manuscripts and other rare and
unique materials.

Biblioteca del Museo Galileo (Museo di Storia della Scienza) | Library Catalog
Piazza dei Giudici, 1 – Hours: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm M-F; 9:00 am – 1:00 pm Sat – Access: Letter of
presentation and passport
● Houses a large number of books and periodicals in the history of science.