The Barrel Room

If you were to ask me how I'd describe Jeff Guignard, it would be a cross between a good friend and possibly the most influential leader working in wine in Canada. He's easy to talk with and immediately it's clear he's a man on a mission; To make BC's wine industry the most attractive to the rest of the world and help level up the entire image of our diverse regions and province of British Columbia's overall 300+ licensed wineries. He spent time working in Ottawa, Canada's Capital as Ch...

For this episode, I sat down with Federico Colombo who was in Canada for his first time ever, here to launch his winery's Malbec-Cabernet Franc wine from LA CELIA in Argentina's Uco Valley, where he has been winemaker for many years. Founded in 1890 with over 125 years of history, La Celia is the oldest winery in the Uco Valley and the first winery in the region to plant the Malbec variety! Federico holds a degree in Oenology from Universidad Technologica Nacional de Mendoza + has ove...

Sitting down with Mark Ramm who is the Regional Export Manager for Angove Family Winemakers in Australia's famous McLaren Vale appellation and the Riverland, was like chatting up an old friend; Familiar, warm, engaging with an ever-present Aussie likability you'd expect from a good mate. Mark has been working with the now 5th generation Angove Family for 27 years and he's never looked back from his earlier career in banking. His involvement has spanned not just the decades, but nearly every ...

It was about a dozen years ago when I bumped into Val Tait at a wine event in Vancouver and I was instantly captivated by both her wines and exuberant personality. We chatted. I tasted those wines and in a frantic very few minutes I immediately recognized this was a person I wanted to have in my life and wine circle. And what a fortuitous meeting that was! In the years intervening, we've shared many more enjoyable + enriching moments together and it was Val who gave me my own firs...

Richard da Silva is a terroir-driven Vigneron-Winemaker who clearly does things his way. Sometimes controversial, occasionally unconventional, but always with care and a deep understanding of his many vineyards and terroirs scattered throughout a few established GI's that he commandeers with his wife Twylla and winery team. His family roots go way back to the mid '50's when they emigrated from Portugal and settled in the South Okanagan to become fruit growers & purveyors. With...