Wine Business Threads My International MBA Experience

When I started my UC Davis MBA journey, I never imagined that wine would become the thread tying together an unforgettable global experience.

Last year, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Santiago, Chile, joining my fellow classmates on the MBA International Study Trip (IST)—a week-long whirlwind tour that was the culmination of a quarter-long course studying Chilean society and economy. It opened my eyes to how culture, commerce and identity intersect in powerful ways.

Chile wasn’t just a beautiful backdrop for learning. It was a place where I felt deeply connected to the stories I heard. We visited local vineyards and sat across from winemakers who talked about their struggles with drought, labor shortages and market competition.

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But what stuck with me most wasn’t the business models—it was their resilience. These were family-run operations rooted in history and pride, producing wines that carried their legacy in every bottle. I could certainly relate as I grew up around small business owners, and now I run my own venture.

When I returned to California and UC Davis for winter quarter, the IST experience didn’t end—it evolved.

The Challenge: Bringing Chilean Wines to the U.S. Table

The UC Davis MBA program has partnered over the past several years with students from the Burgundy School of Wine & Spirits Business in France, and together we became joint consultants for Wines of Chile.

The oldest hub of its kind in the New World, Wines of Chile is a non-profit, private organization of Chilean wine producers dedicated to promoting the quality and image of Chilean wines. Their main objective for 2025 is for the Chilean wine sector to achieve a greater market share and develop a positioning of premium, diverse and sustainable wines in the global context.

Our challenge was clear: identify how Chilean wines—especially those in the $11 to $25 price range—could be better positioned in the U.S. market. It was the first time I worked on a cross-cultural team with real-world impact. Collaborating with the Burgundy school MBAs, we analyzed over 80 importers, studied market gaps and crafted recommendations grounded in both data and empathy.

That momentum carried us into spring 2025, when we traveled to New York City to present our findings to industry professionals.

If you’ve seen the hit musical Hamilton, you know what it means to yearn to be “in the room where it happens.” That’s what I was thinking and pinching myself when we met with executives at Moët Hennessy, discussed sustainability and innovation at French Bloom, and took a ferry to Brooklyn to learn about craft winemaking at Red Hook Winery. Each stop was an immersion in how branding, storytelling and strategy come together in the world of wine.

Representation in the Room Matters

This wasn’t just a capstone project. It was a pivotal moment in my MBA experience. I saw how global business is built on relationships, trust and understanding cultural context. I also saw how much representation matters in these spaces.

As a first-generation MBA student, a proud Latina and a small business owner, this experience reminded me that I belong here—and not just as a participant, but as a contributor.

There was a time I believed these rooms weren’t made for people like me. But now I know they’re better because people like me are in them. And that’s what the UC Davis Graduate School of Management experience gave me—not just tools, but confidence.
 

Wines of Chiles Snapshots

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Marisol Ibarra MBA 26 stands in front of the Brooklyn Bridge during her international consulting trip—where business insights met cultural immersion and storytelling shaped strategy.

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Marisol Ibarra (fourth from left) with her fellow MBA students and Associate Dean of Programs and Curriculum Joe Chen (right) tour the streets of New York City during their Wines of Chile trip.