Director of Spirits Education

Jess was lucky enough to grow up in a family of wine lovers and collectors. As far back as she can remember family events were celebrated with big bold Cabernet Sauvignons and her parents travelled regularly to Northern California. Being around wonderful wines was certainly a treat, but Jess didn’t know how much of the vast world of wine she was missing out on until her early 20’s working in fine dining.

Years of working in the hospitality industry permitted exposure to varieties unfamiliar to her and Jess’ love of wine truly began. This sparked a curiosity for new and interesting wines. She enrolled in WSET 2 with the simple intention of determining why, exactly, she preferred some wines above others. She was hooked. The WSET 3 followed, as well as many side certifications including the Portuguese and Chilean Wine Ambassadors. As a result of her continuing education, Jess began curating wine programs in various restaurants in Kitchener-Waterloo. From this evolved a new passion in teaching wine and spirits.

Currently, Jess is pursuing the WSET Diploma. She works for PMA Canada as a sales representative specializing in spirits.

When not talking about wine and spirits, Jess is an avid traveller. She loves sipping wine and tasting food all over the world with her chef husband, always looking for the next great pairing.

Dip-WSET

The 1977 Warre’s Vintage Port…That’s what did it for me. Up until that night in 2002, I enjoyed wine. I even appreciated it at some level. But that birth year Vintage Port showed me the sheer pleasure, amazement and joy that a special bottle could elicit.

Since then, I have travelled to many wine regions, including Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy, the Rhone, Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily, Margaret River, and Wachau. I have met with producers to get a sense of what makes their wines special. In addition to learning through travel, I have completed WSET Diploma and been published in The World of Fine Wine.

I currently work in training and organizational development and maintain a very strong connection to wine through Adventure in Wine and with regular contributions to www.thewinenerds.ca.

I have a MA in History and International Relations and am fluent in German. I have worked as an apprentice chef, a manager of a large agricultural business and sat on the board of two not-for profit organizations.

When not cooking, teaching, or training, I am visiting the wine regions of the world on my favourite mode of transport: my Cannondale.

Dip-WSET, Sommelier

Lucie is passionate about wine. She is a Certified Sommelier and was awarded the WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits in 2010. In addition to working in fine dining and wine service for 10 years, including the 5-diamond Atelier in Ottawa, Lucie has worked as a wine educator and consultant.

In 2011, Lucie moved to France where she apprenticed with a winemaker. This experience ultimately changing her career path. She was offered a position at Norman Hardie Winery in Prince Edward County. It was an instant love affair. After two seasons learning the ropes of Cool Climate winemaking under Norman and spending the winter months making wine in New Zealand and South Africa, it became clear that her passion for the craft and science of making wine would lead to more than just a hiatus from restaurants and wine consulting.

Three years later, Lucie now considers Prince Edward County her home and works at Keint-He Winery and Vineyards, convinced of the amazing potential of terroir and wines this region has to offer. She loves talking about wine, wine tasting, cool climate viticulture and winemaking with fellow enthusiasts and wine professionals living or visiting Prince Edward County.

Dip-WSET, Sommelier

Jay is a sommelier/assistant winemaker currently based in Prince Edward County. His love of wine started when he moved to Whistler and began working at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. He took his passion of wine and moved to the UK where he worked with the Gordon Ramsay group in a one and two Michelin Star restaurant, The Savoy Grill and Petrus respectively. After two years he returned to Whistler where he was the wine buyer for The Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

During the slow season in Whistler, he worked three harvests and eventually worked for a full year at Orofino, a small, boutique winery located British Columbia’s Similkameen Valley.

Jay moved to Vancouver and was part of the opening team at Hawksworth restaurant. There he helped to create a multiple award winning wine program that drew from his years of experience in London and Whistler.

Jay later moved to Toronto to be closer to family and take on new challenges in a larger market. But his love of production has found him back in the cellar in Prince Edward County. He has worked one vintage at Trail Estate and one with The Grange of Prince Edward County. Yet he still spends evenings in hospitality at Flame and Smith restaurant in Bloomfield.

He became a sommelier through the International Sommelier Guild and earned Wine and Spirit Education Trust’s Diploma. He also received a Master Napa Valley award through the Napa Valley Vintners Educational Program, was named Whistler’s Best Sommelier by the readers of The Question Newspaper and won the International Culinary School wine professional challenge.

Recently, his love of native Italian Grapes has led Jay to study under Ian D’Agata and is currently one of four educators in Canada for Ian’s 3iC school.

Jay has written in publications such as Eat Magazine and Good Food Revolution.