Adriano Cartulaires
Sommelier
10 Acres
Victoria, BC, Canada
Brazilian wine enthusiast. Background in culinary and wine rep.
Adriano Cartuliares
Alistair Veen
Owner
Tap Restaurant
Surrey, BC, Canada
Alistair is not only the owner and Executive Chef at Tap, he also serves as the restaurant’s Sommelier. In 2015 his exceptional wine knowledge led to him being named Best Sommelier of BC by the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers, BC Chapter. Alistair has since earned distinction in the French Wine Scholar program and became one of the 5% of candidates to pass the Court of Master Sommeliers Advanced certification on his first try. He plans to write the Master Sommelier certification as soon as he is eligible. In the meantime, however, he has plenty on his plate at Tap, including discovering exceptional wines from regions around the world and developing cuisine that pairs divinely with his cellar selections.
TapRestaurantBC
@taptrestaurant
Chase MacLeod
Wine Director
Fable Kitchen
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Currently working as the wine director of Fable Kitchen in Kitsilano, also owner of Wine and Hospitality Consulting and Events. Former Owner/GM/Sommelier of Mission Restaurant in Kitsilano. Obtained sommelier diploma through the International Sommelier Guild in 2011.
@chasemacleod27
@chase_mac_
@chase.macleod.96
Christine Austin
Wine Writer
Yorkshire Post
London, United Kingdom
I am a freelance writer, with credits in several newspapers, magazines and even a couple of books, but essentially I have written about wine for the up-market people of Yorkshire for more years than I can count. I am a Panel Chair on the International Wine Challenge and have won both the Lanson and Roederer Awards.
@christine_wine
Craig Pinhey
Sommelier/Writer/Judge/Consultant
Frog’s Pad
Rothesay, NB, Canada
Craig Pinhey writes and drinks for a living, not necessarily in that order. He is co-author of The Wine Lover’s Guide to Atlantic Canada, and has been the beverage columnist for Brunswick News since 2000, with his Good Drink column and special features. He has been published many times in regional (East Coast Living, Progress, The Coast) and national magazines (Maclean’s, Wine Access, Mash, TAPS), and currently has a weekly online column for Quench, Canada’s most read wine magazine. Craig makes his living writing, reviewing wine, beer and spirits, teaching, judging, designing wine lists, doing restaurant service training, and conducting wine, beer, spirits and food pairing events in the region’s pubs & restaurants.
@Frogspadca
Craig.Pinhey.FrogsPad
@brufrog
David Pieroway
Customer Experience Manager
Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation
Bedford, NS, Canada
CAPS (Ontario), CMS Sommelier, dipWSET candidate, working in Atlantic Canada’s premier retail wine store, educating staff, customers and fans of wine through interactive experience based events through our store and around the city and province.
Vintage_playa
Daenna Van Mulligen
Publisher/Freelancer
WineDiva.ca
Vancouver, BC, Canada
A Vancouver wine writer, Daenna launched her websites WineDiva.ca in 2004 and WineScores.ca in 2008. She’s been a regular contributor to Vines Magazine and TASTE Magazine for a decade, Montecristo Magazine for three years, and more recently Vitis Magazine. For 18 years Daenna, a certified sommelier, has been a wine educator, judge, and frequent presenter in Canada, as well as Italy, New Zealand and Portugal.
@TheWineDiva
WineDiva
@TheWineDiva
Drea Philip
Calgary, AB, Canada
With over 15 years of experience in the industry, spanning from NYC to Vancouver Island, Drea has worked at almost every position in a restaurant. Recently with her move to Calgary her career has excelled including working with Michelin Star Chef Neil McCue and Chef Jinhee Lee. Her interest and love for wine has grown quickly and she looks forward to its ever evolving world.
@drea_phmills
andrea.philipmills
Geoffrey Last
Store Manager / Writer
Bin 905 / The Calgary Herald / City Palette Magazine
Calgary, AB, Canada
Geoff Last is a long-time Calgary wine merchant, writer and broadcaster and a regular contributor to City Palate Magazine and other publications. His articles have appeared in Gourmet magazine, Vines and Orange Life and he was recently awarded a fellowship to the Symposium of Professional Wine Writers based in Napa Valley, the only Canadian wine writer to achieve this accolade. He is the wine columnist for the Calgary Herald, Calgary’s number one daily newspaper. In addition, he is the general manager for Bin 905 Wines & Spirits (bin905.com), a leading specialty wine store that imports fine wines from the world around. During his thirty-five-year tenure as a wine merchant and journalist he has worked as a musician and DJ and is an avid mountain biking enthusiast.
Isa Bal, MS
Director
Isa Bal MS Ltd.
Maidenhead, United Kingdom
Isa Bal, Master Sommelier, has worked at the famous 3 Michelin star restaurant The Fat Duck as a group Head Sommelier. At the end of 2017 he left that position and is working on some consultancy contracts as well as his own restaurant project which is estimated to open in the first half of 2019.
@isabal_MA
@Isabalwasntfree
James Tidwell, MS
Owner/Producer/Publisher
TEXSOM
Dallas, TX, USA
James Tidwell is a writer, speaker, and entrepreneur in the fields of beverage education and training, wine competitions, and trade media. His portfolio of writing includes The World of Fine Wine, Lonely Planet, and The Dallas Morning News, amongst others. He is co-founder of the TEXSOM Conference and publisher of TEXSOM presents SOMMELIER, as well as producer of the TEXSOM International Wine Awards. He consults for clients including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. James is based in Dallas, Texas.
@winejames
jamestidwellms
@winejames
Jenny Book
Wine Educator
Fine Vintage
Calgary, AB, Canada
Jenny Book is a native of Toronto but lived coast to coast before settling in Alberta. She has two degrees, a bachelor’s and a Master’s, but once she’d completed those she discovered wine and started studying all over again. She has the ISG Diploma and achieved the Top Canadian Graduate Award in the WSET Diploma in 2012. She continues to study through the Institute of Masters of Wine and loves to share her passion for wine-ed as a WSET instructor in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto and the Yukon. She has traveled extensively in pursuit of wine knowledge (France, Germany, Portugal, Australia, Argentina, USA) but will sing the praises of the Canadian wine industry given the chance. An educator of the Canadian Wine Scholar Program, Jenny is passionate about Canada’s local wine industry and loves to engage students with her energetic and approachable style.
Jeremy Pott
Regional Operations Manager
Cascadia Liquor
Victoria, BC, Canada
Jeremy brings over 25 years in the hospitality industry to Cascadia Liquor and a wealth of experience working with guests to find that perfect bottle for any occasion. In 2012, he achieved his Sommelier Diploma from the International Sommelier Guild to complement his strong service-focused approach. Jeremy also has a big passion for craft beer and has recently attained the Cicerone Certification (while adding to his craft beer cellar along the way).
Before joining Cascadia, he owned and operated a restaurant in the Rocky Mountains before leaving it all behind for the beautiful West Coast.
@jhpott
jeremy.pott.3
@JerPott
Juwan Kim
Head Sommelier
Hong Kong / Macau
Born and raised in Korea. Worked in Seoul, London, Hong Kong and soon Macau. Representative Sommelier of Hong Kong for Canadian Wine Sommelier Competition in Greater China 2017, Representative Sommelier of Korea for 2nd Asia Oceania Best Sommelier Competition 2012, Certified Sommelier certificate from Court of Master Sommelier.
Juwan Kim
Katelyn Peil
Wine Director
Heavy Restaurant Group
Kirkland, WA, USA
Certified Sommelier and Beverage Director for multiple locations for Heavy Restaurant Group for 11 years. Seattle Magazine’s Washington Wine Awards Sommelier of the Year 2017.
@KatelynPeil
Katelyn Peil
@KatelynPeil
Laurie MacKay
Proprietor & Sommelier
Soulvines Inc.
Calgary, AB, Canada
With over 18 years experience in the wine business, Laurie is best known as the House Wine Sommelier on CBC Radio’s Homestretch program in Calgary. Now in its 12th season, Laurie’s wine column with host Doug Dirks enables listeners to travel around the world and be introduced to new and often obscure wines. Recently, Laurie has also delved into the world of craft beer and spirits on CBC Radio One.
@Soulvines
Soulvines2
@Soulvines
Lindsay Kaisaris
General Manager
JAKS Beer Wine and Spirits – Penticton
Penticton, BC, Canada
Recovering owner/operator of Vancouver’s first food truck cum restaurant; Lindsay paused her career as a sommelier to immerse herself in Southern BBQ. Now she is a transplant to the heart of BC wine country, managing the flagship location of the JAKS Group of Liquor Stores in BC.
@lindsaykaisaris
Meg Houston Maker
Editor-in-Chief
Terroir Review
Lyme, NH, USA
Meg Houston Maker is a freelance writer curious about nature, culture, food, wine, and place. She travels extensively to meet and taste with producers and discover what links them to their land. Her writing appears on her award-winning site, Terroir Review, and in wine and lifestyle publications, garnering mention in The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Buzzfeed, Brain Pickings, and elsewhere. She is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers.
@megmaker @terroirreview
meghoustonmaker
terroirreview
@megmaker @terroirreview
Tim Pawsey
Owner
HiredBelly.com
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Tim Pawsey writes and shoots for numerous publications, including: Where Magazine, Quench, The Alchemist, Vitis, BCLS Taste, Montecristo and others. When not poring over a wine glass or checking out the newest hotspot he can be found at hiredbelly.com and @hiredbelly
@hiredbelly
@hiredbelly
TheHiredBelly
Tom Firth
Wine Writer/Consultant
Cowtown Wine
Calgary, AB, Canada
Tom Firth is a freelance wine writer, wine consultant, and wine judge based in Calgary, Alberta. His work appears in Culinaire Magazine, City Palate, Avenue Magazine (Calgary), and Alberta Liquor Retailer along with various online content. In April 2013, he joined the team at Culinaire Magazine as their Contributing Drinks Editor and is the Competition Director for the Alberta Beverage Awards – now in its sixth year.
His formal wine training includes certification with the Wines & Spirits Education Trust and the International Sommelier Guild. More recently, he was one of the inaugural graduates of the Wine Location Specialist program sponsored by the Comite Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP). He firmly believes that great Riesling is proof the universe is unfolding as it should.
@cowtownwine
VJ Gandhi
CEO
Kascadia Wine Merchants
San Jose, CA, USA
Kascadia Wine Merchants is an importer and online marketplace focused on giving Canada’s vintages a global platform in the US.
@kascadiawine
KascadiaWineMerchants
@kascadiawinemerchants
Terry Threlfall
Head of Buying, Wine & Spirits
Selfridges & Company
London, United Kingdom
