Uncorked: Mike Veseth

US economics professor Mike Veseth is the brains behind the wineeconomist blog. Author of ‘Wine Wars’ and ‘Extreme Wine’, he is currently writing a collection of essays on money, taste and wine.

What Vintage are you?

1949 – Must have been a good year because it is the same as my wife Sue and she’s definitely a fine vintage!

What bottle sparked your love of wine?

A Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet changed my life years ago, and put me on the path to wine economics.

Ambition or talent – what matters more?

Talent without drive = unrealized potential.  I like over-achievers.

What would you be as a wine?

I aspire to be a Late Bottled Vintage Port – sophisticated and approachable.

Where are you happiest?

When I’m in the vineyard talking with a passionate winegrower.

What’s your greatest vice?

Impatience.

Best advice you ever got?

Look up! Don’t let the trees stop you from seeing the forest. 

Your cellar’s underwater, which bottle would you dive in and save?

That’s a tough one. It would be a bottle of 1977 Nederburg Edelkeur that I was given when I spoke at the Nederberg Auction in South Africa in 2012.

What’s the best & worst thing about the wine business?

I’m never bored – that’s the best thing. There is always something new and interesting. Worst thing? So hard to keep up! So much more to learn!

Personal satisfaction (Parker points)

94/100. Satisfied but not complacent! Always room to grow.

Desert island vine?

I hope my desert island has a steep mountain because I would want to plant Riesling vines. I never tire of this noble grape’s wines.