Inside a Glass of Wine

When Pierre Ly looks at a glass of wine, he sees much more than grapes. Pierre, associate professor of international political economy, sees political systems, environmental and economic issues, reflections about culture, human investment, and delicious opportunity. This desire to see and explore beneath the surface represents the intellectual curiosity of the Puget Sound community that leads to fruitful student and faculty interaction.

“I want you to taste the tensions in that glass,” Pierre instructs students in his class, The Idea of Wine. Pierre quickly points out this isn’t a wine-tasting class: “We’re not trying to figure out whether one tastes like strawberries and another like blackberries.” Instead, the class examines all the resources required to produce a glass of wine—natural, environmental, economic, cultural, political, and social—and students build a complete understanding of the complexities of an industry with worldwide economic influence. The focus on those global networks is what makes The Idea of Wine one of dozens of options in Connections, the capstone to Puget Sound’s distinctive Core Curriculum taken junior or senior year.

Through his independent research, Pierre became an expert in wine production in China, inspired partly by his Vietnamese father and Chinese grandfather. Both he and his wife, also a political economist, have conducted extensive research about China’s wine industry for articles and a book. In their scholarly work, the two have interviewed several producers, investors, and civic leaders on wine’s impact on Chinese economic development and political implications. Pierre has also presented at a major industry conference and was briefly interviewed on local Chinese television channels. After earning a doctorate in economics in his home country of France, Pierre was introduced to the liberal arts when he came to the U.S. early in his career. Assigned to team teach a course with a political scientist, Pierre saw the potential in exploring ideas from separate disciplines in smaller classes where students could contribute to dialogue. When the opportunity arose to teach in Puget Sound’s International Political Economy program, Pierre saw how his interests uniquely prepared him for the position.

Perhaps that commitment to diversity of thought explains why his class, The Idea of Wine, is so popular. “We have students from all around in this class who are theater majors, English majors, biochemistry majors, economics majors, and computer science majors. There’s about everything. It’s a very eclectic mix.” With the variety of disciplines represented by students, the opportunity to explore the interdependent aspects of the wine industry seems natural. “Wine is a really beautiful subject to make connections because it’s both art and science,” Pierre reflects. “It fascinates students who are in environmental studies because the environmental questions in wine are enormous in all sorts of ways; climate change is just a huge deal for wine. And then you have the people who are into the politics, economics, and business. Through wine you see all the tensions: the economic tensions, the political tensions, the cultural tensions, the way that globalization challenges local law.

“Having students from different disciplines each bringing their own perspective feeds the classroom,” Pierre continues. “For the most part, they had never really thought about wine, beyond drinking it, when they walk into class. And then it becomes the thing that maybe they could consider in all sorts of capacities.”

He next plans to teach a course on the economy of China that will culminate in selecting students to engage in eight-week internships in Beijing, part of Puget Sound’s extensive experiential learning and study abroad programs. “I get to know students so well at Puget Sound and have so many discussions with them,” notes Pierre. “Not just about class but about what they might want to do this summer or what they want to do later; I get to see in hindsight what my students end up doing. And then even after they leave, they actually stay in touch and we still talk; we still exchange and so that’s really fun.”

Like Pierre, Kyungin Kim ’17 had a family connection that inspired her interest in wine.

“My grandfather used to be a rice winemaker in Gyeongju, South Korea, so I was always interested in how different types of spirits were made,” says the international political economy major. “I was able to learn that grape winemaking is very different from rice winemaking, and I never knew that there were so many different types of wine made across different areas of the world. What fascinated me the most was how different soil, climate, winemaking practices, and many other variables could influence the taste and quality of the final product.”

Kyungin, who was born in Seoul, South Korea, but grew up in Shanghai, China, credits Pierre for advising her on how to combine her academic and professional interests. After being selected for a summer research fellowship through the department, Kyungin traveled to South Korea to study tourism in Jeju Island, a popular resort destination. Through mentorship from Pierre and other International Political Economy professors, Kyungin was inspired to focus on her interest in tourism economics.

“What I appreciated most about Pierre is that his office door was always open for students; even on days without planned office hours, Pierre was more than happy to hear and discuss papers, projects, careerrelated concerns, and even personal life issues. I truly appreciated how many professors at Puget Sound, like Pierre, are deeply dedicated to teaching and influencing students’ lives.”

Today, Kyungin works as a Risk Management Specialist for Airbnb in Seoul and continues to stay in contact with Pierre. “Recently, he offered me a chance to publish my thesis in our school journal collection website, which was so meaningful because I aspire to be a full-time scholar someday,” she says.

MIKE VESETH ’ 72

Professor emeritus of international political economy at University of Puget Sound. He studies global wine markets and is the editor of the blog The Wine Economist. He has authored more than a dozen books.

DICK BOUSHEY ’ 75

Owner of Boushey Vineyards, which is recognized as one of the top vineyards in Washington State.

DAVID ROSENTHAL ’ 01

Operation manager of Chateau St. Michelle’s white wine cellar in Woodinville, Washington.

JESSICA NORRIS ’ 02

Head sommelier (or wine steward) at Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group, a steakhouse with over 50 locations across the U.S.

MICHAEL HAAS ’ 1 3

Founder of WineRelay, a direct-toconsumer wine marketing business.