Terry M. Lease, Ph.D., DipWSET

Professor, Wine Business

Office: Building 11, Room 224
Phone: 805-756-7339
Email: lease@calpoly.edu
Office Hours: Current Quarter

Dr. Lease joined the faculty of the Department of Wine and Viticulture in September 2019 from the hospitality and tourism management school at Florida International University and the school of business and economics at Sonoma State University. He currently teaches Branded Wine Marketing, Senior Project – Wine Business, Wine Business Strategies, and Global Wine and Viticulture.

Dr. Lease’s research and professional interests reflect the broad nature of the business of wine and include consumer behavior in the wine market, wine tourism, wine ecommerce and social media, wine exporting and distribution, wine pricing, and consumer preferences and decision making for wine. His research methods include case studies, surveys, and empirical data analysis. Dr. Lease’s recent conference papers and publications explore consumers’ perception of Chenin Blanc, the impact of social media practices on sales in U.S. wineries, and determinants of a restaurant’s selection of wines for its wine list.

Dr. Lease earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, Master of Taxation from Baylor University, and BSBA with a minor in German from Wake Forest University.

Wine is Dr. Lease’s passion. He earned the Level 4 Diploma in Wine and Spirits certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET). He has visited many of the major, and a few minor, wine regions of the world to expand his knowledge of wine and the global wine industry.