Photos courtesy of Para Kouhestani
Two years ago I had the opportunity to attend a wine series at Legacy Liquor store in Vancouver. Every few weeks that summer I was invited to take a seat at their long ‘Harvest Table’ and representatives from wineries all over BC would tell their story and offer us a taste of some truly spectacular wines. The lineup included Poplar Grove, Blue Mountain, Black Hills, Church and State, Fort Berens and Road 13. It was such a great opportunity to try many wonderful wines, but what really stood out for me were the stories from the people behind the wine.
There were stories from individuals who retired from one career, totally unrelated to wine making, and then started their next career as a winery owner and operator. There were also those who were raised at a winery and are now the second generation to assume stewardship over their family’s business. Finally, there were those who moved halfway around the world to build their dream, like husband and wife team Rolf de Bruin and Heleen Pannekoek who moved their family from Holland to Lillooet, BC to start Fort Berens Estate Winery.
I found these stories (and the wines) inspiring. For two years dreams and ideas have been percolating in my head and now I have finally decided to do something about it. Let’s be clear though, I have no delusions of buying a winery and making wine, I will leave this to the experts. Instead I have decided to go back to school. I did some research and found that Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) offers globally recognized education and qualifications in wine and spirits, so it seemed like a good place to start my journey, my year in wine.
The intention of this blog is simple: to share information, create dialogue about wine and, most importantly, to help me keep my momentum.
Deb Murray has her WSET Level II as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Technology and currently works as a healthcare professional. She enjoys travel, antiques, single malt scotch and wine, of course!