Wine Economics

In addition to her other global macro work, Rachel also tracks themes associated with the economics and trade of wine and spirits including the impact of climate change. She completed the Diploma program of the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust (WSET) in 2024. This page gathers many of her wine related work, winery visits and tasting info. You can also sign up to her wine substack newsletter here.

Rachel has a particular interest in how trade, environmental, and competition policies impact the wine industry. She also hosts wine tastings for charities, especially the Heart and Soul Charitable Fund . Get in touch if you’d like to talk wine economics, history, your favorite terroir or collaborate on a tasting.

 

Recent Wine Tastings

Southern Italy Wine Tasting presentation and wine list January 2025 Harbour Cove Wine Club
Tasting the Fruits of Female Winemakers : a tasting in support of Womankind
Spring 2024 Wine tasting to support Target Cancer. Wines for Spring

Wine Tastings in Support of the Heart and Soul Charitable Fund

Wines of South Africa September 2024. Thanks to Diana Erbsen for donating the wine.
South American Wine Tasting February 2024. Thanks to Morton Williams Wine for donating the wines.
Marche Wine Tasting October 2023. Thanks to Vias and Velenosi Vini for donating the wines, food and venue.
French Wine Tasting May 2023. Thanks to le French Wine Shop for donating the wines.
Italian wine tasting October 27 2022. Thanks to VIAS for donating the wines.

Academic Wine-related Presentations

Okanagan Winery response to Climate Change June 2025. This presentation assesses the response of BC winemakers to recent climate shocks including the willingness to import grapes. It puts these shocks in context with the ongoing US-Canada trade war.

Weaponizing Wine and Spirits Trade July 2024. This presentation looks at the China’s use of wine tariffs on Australia and the impacts of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine on wine and spirits trade.

Wine Consolidation June 2023 This Presentation compares consolidation trends across different new world wine regions to take a broader view on consolidation of the sector, including the trend that buyers continue to run several competing wineries as separate brands that may compete with each other. An updated version of this presentation from April 2024 can be found here

Wine trade Presentation AAWE, August 2022.  This presentation “Wine and Trade Disputes: From Protectionism to Tool of Political Coercion” maps a partial history of recent trade disputes involving wine from those focused on reshaping wine rules, those where wine and spirits were part retaliation for other trade issues and politically motivated export bans. To read about my take in the wine regions of Georgia, click here.

Climate Change and Wine (pdf of Presentation), February 2022

Understanding Natural, Sustainable, Biodynamic Wines (pdf of presentation), April 2021

Previous presentations: