Cokie and her wine related video content has gained a huge following on YouTube and Instagram, as she shares her passion, energy, and knowledge of wine. Cokie is a WSET Diploma graduate, who juggles university life with representing trade bodies for wine missions in areas such as Niagara, USA and Europe. We dive into a variety of topics, including …

While travelling through France this summer, we managed to be staying about 30 minutes away from Chateau Canet in the Languedoc region, and I got time to spend sampling some wines and recording an episode with Charlotte Lemstra-Bake. Charlotte comes from a family of winemakers, as both her father and brother also have their own labels within their …

Always a favourite on our show, we get to chat again with Brenna Quigley. Brenna is a geologist with a focus on wine, wine regions and terroir. She also has a wonderfully informative podcast of her own, currently focusing on France, specifically Cote D'Or, with a highlight on my favourite, Burgundy. She brings a high level of detail to her episodes…

An impromptu chat with Laurie Horvath, owner of The One Sixty Wine Bar . A sneak peek into the cozy little wine bar opening in Port Moody. Join us as we discuss how this dream turned into a reality. Laurie and her partner in crime Adam turned a chance walk into this opportunity to own a wine bar in the new 50 Electronic Avenue condo complex. Chatti…

Another impromptu BBQ Sessions. A quick birthday dinner allowed for some BBQ'ing with the usual suspects. Join Darryl and I for a quick chat as we have a glass of wine and cook up some steak and salmon. We also talk about planning our upcoming trip this summer to head back to France. Get ready for a fun conversation. Pull up a chair, grab a glass a…

An impromptu BBQ Sessions. Christmas time saw a chance for some BBQing with the usual suspects. Join Darryl and Travis and I for a quick chat as we have a glass of wine and cook some ribs. We also talk about a Burgundian road trip through Pommard. Get ready for a fun conversation. Pull up a chair, grab a glass and enjoy! For podcast updates and to …

Join our conversation with Trini, the owner of Gracianna. He managed to sneak away from harvest for a few minutes while we did a tasting to talk about the history behind the Gracianna name and label. We spent a few minutes chatting about this recent harvest and their award winning pinot. Get ready for a fun conversation. Pull up a chair, grab a gla…

Join our conversation with two veterans of the hospitality industry as we discuss BC and Ontario Wines, the service industry, and their move to Ontario to start using their decades of knowledge to share and grow future generations in the industry. We talk about all the things going on in their lives, and there is always plenty. From their own proje…

Long time friend of the show and friend of the vine Katie Truscott and I sit down at Kitsch Wines as she pours me some of the lovely Kitsch Wines lineup. We talk about all the things going on in her life, and there is always plenty. From her work at Kitsch Wines, her work for the Naramata Bench Winery Association, and the recent acquisition of 1 Mi…

Long time friend of the show and friend of the vine Grayson Riordon and I sit down at Black Swift Vineyards as he pours me some of the latest offerings from his bevy of beauties. Located in West Kelowna under the Jason Parkes Customs stable of wineries, Grayson pours and talks, I drink and listen. It's a beautiful combination. Get ready for a fun c…

Join us as we discuss how Chuck got his start into wine, including some of his earliest mentors. We also discuss the Southern wine culture, the wine scene in Mississippi and some in depth discussion into the representation of women, minorities and colour in wine. We also touch on an initiative called The Southern Sommelier Collective. Chuck Nix, CS…

Join us as we discuss how Sarah got her start into wine, including how art played a role and still does, her passion for Italian wine, the Hong Kong micro-wine culture, and some in depth discussion into the MW program. Plus, discover how Sarah has kept her magic of wine through her visual tasting notes. Sarah Heller MW is a wine expert, visual arti…

Lawrence and I met in London in 2018, when he graciously had me on his show, Interpreting Wine. Since that time, he has begun to develop and focus his show into one that listeners immerse themselves as he dives into not only wine, but food, hospitality, the London wine scene, various wine series, and much more. Part II continues the conversation as…

Lawrence and I met in London in 2018, when he graciously had me on his show, Interpreting Wine. Since that time, he has begun to develop and focus his show into one that listeners immerse themselves as he dives into not only wine, but food, hospitality, the London wine scene, and much much more. He started developing episodes into dedicated wine se…

I sit down and talk Oregon Pinot with Dave and Lois Cho of Cho Wines. Dave cut his teeth making wines in California before starting on this independent venture of creating some of the world's greatest expressions of pinot noir. Dave and Lois join me from their home in California, as we discuss their Canadian roots, Dave's start into food and wine, …

I sit down and talk English Premier League with some mates, as we enjoy some wine, whisky and cocktails. Join me for this one off Fantasy talk special, where all things FPL are debated. Fellow Friends of the Vine Marty and Cody are joined by guests Nick and Omari as our fantasy teams and the upcoming season get the full scrutiny. This one off show …

Join Steve, Nick and I as we delve into the world of wine and whisky investment. Started 10 years ago, Steve Bishop began Elite Wine and Whisky in London. Joined a year later by Nick Green, these two, and their team navigate the world of investments, focusing mostly on Scottish whisky, Bordeaux and Burgundy. We chat about investing in Californian w…

Join Jonah Beer and I as we discuss the fine wine world that is Napa Valley. Jonah shares the last couple decades of being involved in all things Napa, and his decision to leave Frog's Leap Winery after 18 years. In this episode, we delve into his wine journey from washing glasses at Stag's Leap Winery, to become general manager of Frog's Leap, to …

Join Eric, Justin and I as we talk about wine and cigars. So many similarities in how to approach both areas, we delve into some of those in our chat. As co-hosts of their own show, they have a great podcasting style, as they are known to shoot the breeze about all sorts of cigar topics and about life in general. Based in New York, they publish a n…

Join Daryl and I for another edition of The BBQ Sessions. A short episode this time, we delve into talking a bit about fortified wines, wine and cigars and I tell Daryl about some of my recent podcast guests. Mostly you hear us drinking rosé and drooling over the pistachio crusted salmon. Get ready for a fun conversation. Pull up a chair, grab a gl…

Rafael de Lima is a wine bar owner which features wine tastings and wine experience tours based in Porto, Portugal. Rafa also started running online wine sessions as he finishes his WSET diploma studies and to try and continue to connect socially with others while we deal with the lack of travel and social interaction during this pandemic. His onli…

Starting the New Year with a 2020 Recap Show. Join us as we discuss the year that was 2020 and how it affected the Friends Of The Vine show. We talk about some of the big topics that hit the wine industry from 2019 and 2020, and what this year (2021) will look like for the show. I finish the show with some highlight soundbites from a few of my favo…

Randy Ullom and I talk all things Chardonnay. Ever since the acronym ABC came to light 25 years ago in the NY Times, wine drinkers have debated this polarizing grape. We discuss the legacy of the world's most popular grape, and discover what the current wine world thinks on this topic. As well, we talk about Randy's entry into wine back in the 1970…

Brenna Quigley is a geologist and founder of the Roadside Terroir podcast. In this episode we go into how she got into wine, the natural connection between wine and geology and her love of both, women in the wine world, the wine community, the complicated geological terroir that is Alsace, blind tasting with her friend and mentor Rajat Parr, grapes…

Brett Thiessen is the viticulturist for Mount Boucherie Estate Winery and Rust Wine Co. His task is to convert all their grapes, vineyards and land to organic farming. Multiple acres over multiple sites, in multiple appelations spread throughout the Okanagan wine regions is a big task, but Brett is up for the challenge. In this episode we go into h…

Diogo Reis is the general manager at Quinta Do Sanguinhal, which has been making wine and been in the wine retail business for over four generations. We met last year at the Top Drop Wine Festival in Vancouver, when I got to taste a selection of his family's wines. In this episode we go into how he got into wine, the influence of his family over th…

Ann Sperling is a winemaker and winegrower. She divides her attention between Sperling Vineyards in Kelowna where she manages the winery along with her sister, and the Niagara wine region of Ontario at Southbrook Vineyards, where she focuses on making organic, biodynamic wines. In this episode we go into how she got into wine, the family property i…

Bobbie Burgess is a sommelier and wine director for Restaurant Tyler in Starkville, Miss. She represents an up-and-coming group of young passionate female sommeliers in smaller wine regions seeking wine education, good wines and some camaraderie with other wine professionals. Through wine clubs, wine tastings, her passion for wine and the food pair…

Sabato and I reunite for another fun chat. We haven't talked since Episode 15, so lots has changed. We discuss what he is up to recently, his departure from Bar Taco, his contributions to Somm TV, his new youtube channel called Freerun with Dustin Wilson MS and Mike Laszlo about the state of the food and beverage industry, and what his quarantine w…

Join us for a wine tasting from the hatch wines tasting room located in West Kelowna. Grayson Riordon and I run through a flight of delicious, approachable wines. Be sure to check out prior episodes with Grayson (Ep. 10) and winemaker Jason Parkes (Ep. 37) to get a true sense of what an amazing crew runs this great little winery. Audio recorded in …

Matt Landry is an engaging sommelier that is well known in the Vancouver wine scene. He currently is located at the Fiore restaurant where he shares stories, pours great wine, and drops some knowledge along the way. In this episode, we talk about his wine collaboration with the Okanagan Crush Pad, the recent BC Somm competition, and some quick hot …

Elysia Myers lets us in to the fascinating world of painting art using real wine. She shares some stories of some of her work and how her passion for painting led her to this unique livelihood. We also share travel stories, our mutual love of mulled wine, and much more. Get ready for a fun conversation. Pull up a chair, grab a glass and enjoy! Audi…

Highlights from my various conversations over the last year, compiling 10 episodes in part one and 10 episodes in part two. I sit down with some great guests, and these are some snapshots from our chats, sharing their wine stories and experiences. -Sam Mudie- Episode 31 -Natalie MacLean- Episode 32 -Jason Ocenas- Episode 33 -Brooke Martin- Episode …

Highlights from my various conversations over the last year, compiling 10 episodes in part one. I sit down with some great guests, and these are some snapshots from our chats, sharing their wine stories and experiences. -Daryl McDonnell, BBQ Sessions- Episode 21 -Lawrence Francis- Episode 22 -Heather Lipp- Episode 23 -Cristie Norman- Episode 24 -St…

David Paterson and I sit down and talk about the 2019 harvest, Okanagan viticulture, and the push for sub-appellations. His knowledge of the Kelowna wine scene is immense, and he shares it openly and honestly. His riesling is world class, and we discuss this grape and the others that Tantalus is known for. Of course, I also find out his desert isla…

Nicole Muscari, aka Grape Chic, is a wine blogger, NY fashion expert, and has some of the most engaging Instagram content on wine, fashion and travel. She is currently awaiting the results on her WSET III, which we discuss, among many other things. We talk Italian and French wines, wine road trips and wine regions, travel, her work in the fashion i…

Keira LeFranc is the winemaker for Stag's Hollow. She got her start with Stag's Hollow, working a harvest. After living in Australia, running a wine bar, and getting her wine making degree in New Zealand, she came back to Okanagan Falls, to mentor under then winemaker Dwight Sick. She now spearheads the wine program, marking 2018 as her first solo …

This episodes features my conversation with Jason Parkes. The man behind the winery that is the hatch, and the various entities that flow from it. Jason and his team have made a name for themselves by being unique and providing some character and fun to the world of wine, and because of this, they are a known presence in the Okanagan. Their tasting…

This episodes features three short interviews, and a recap of the BC Pinot Celebration from Kelowna. I was fortunate enough to stay with my friends on the Kitsch Wines property, and sample 25-30 different wineries at this celebration. Also, I was invited to the Garagiste North Wine Festival, which focuses on small wineries in BC, that make 2000 cas…

Jane Masters is a wine consultant, and Master of Wine. She has a well earned reputation in the wine community as someone who is full of knowledge and passion for wine, and eager to help share it with others. We get into her history, her origins, some of the roles she has had in wine, including her time as the chair for the Institute of Masters of W…

Brooke Martin is a wine writer and wine blogger, and is the creator of The Brooke Blend. She is a force on Instagram, where she is a popular online wine presence. Her wine picks and conversations about wine resonate with her audience. Join our conversation about how she discovered Napa and fell in love with wine, French rosé, Utah wine laws, social…

Jason Ocenas is the General Manager of Township 7 Wine in Langley, BC. We get into a variety of topics, including BC wine trends, natural wines, his origins into the wine industry, and the always popular stuck on a desert island grape varietal. Get ready for a fun conversation. Pull up a chair, grab a glass and enjoy! The Township 7 website can be …

Natalie MacLean is a wine writer, author, and wine reviewer. She is known for her beautiful story telling style that gets you as the reader immersed into her fun journey through the world of wine. She has been compared to Canada's version of Jancis Robinson. Join us as we get in to her personal journey with wine, her first experiences in Napa, and …

Sam Mudie is the General Manager for Cult Wines, Singapore. He joins me for a discussion on wine investment, specifically with a focus on the South East Asian market. We also get in to his personal journey with wine, some of his early influences, the rise of Napa wine for investment, and whether or not natural wines is trending within wine investme…

Esther Mobley joins me for some fun wine talk. In this episode, we discuss a variety of topics, including upcoming varietals in California, the current status of Napa Valley wines, the rise of Lodi, and the always popular natural wine debate and how it plays out in California, and the rest of the American wine scene. We also go back to how she got …

Join us as we sit around the dinner table at the Kitsch Wines property. In this episode, winemaker Grant Biggs cooks us dinner and we are joined by Katie Truscott, tasting room manager for Kitsch, plus Ria Kitsch, who is one of the founders of Kitsch Wines. This episode features another podcast opportunity from my recent trip to the Okanagan region…

Kelsey Rufiange is a relatively new winemaker in the diverse Okanagan wine landscape. Her family planted vines on their property in 2013, and over the last few years, she took over all of the grape growing and wine making. She studied oenology and viticulture at Lincoln University and worked vintages in New Zealand, California and Australia. Their …

Anne Krebiehl is a wine writer for a variety of publications, including being the contributing editor for Wine Enthusiast, writing for Decanter, as well as The Buyer and The World of Fine Wine among others. She specializes in Germany, Austria and Alsace, with a focus on Pinot Noir. She holds a MW designation. This episode features our chat about An…

Jack Chapman is immersed in a wide variety of areas within the wine world. He is the senior portfolio manager for Cult Wines, a wine investment company. He has a small vineyard on a farm outside London, and he co-stars with Tom Gearing in a you tube wine show called "One More Glass". This episode features our chat about all of these areas of his li…

This episode features a short recap segment of my time spent at one of the tasting sessions during the week of the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2019. California was the featured region. The second half of this episode features my friend Steve and I chatting about wine while driving in to the festival, and our friendship and passion for win…