Writing Portfolio

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Exploring British Columbia’s Geographical Indications: A Guide for Wine Professionals

Fall 2024 (Print):
Rethinking Hybrids in Canada

Ongoing
Decanter.com author page

January 2024 (Print): Vancouver Island, A Wine Lover’s Guide

Wine Reviews Somm TV-1

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Winemaking Ethos Meet Eco-Friendly Design at these Wineries

Wineries Want to Replicate Champagne’s Underground Wine Caves. But Should They?

In a Sea of Credentials, Wine Professionals Seek Meaning

Are Okanagan GSM Blends Safe(ish) From Climate Change?

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Ongoing author page

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Ongoing author page

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TASTE MAGAZINE

2024
Sip Into The Future

Celebrate with Fizz & Flair

Sipping Consciously: A Global Tour Through Eco-Friendly Wines

2023
Blanco Tequilas for Summertime Margaritas

Uncorking the Secrets to Great-Value Wine

Back to Wine Basics

2022
Zingy Vino: Exploring High Acidity Wines from Around the Globe

BC Sunshine in a Bottle

Affordable Wines to Start a Collection

Spicy Wines are Here for Fall

Affordable Wines to Spread Holiday Cheer

2021
Sonoma County: The Road to Sustainability

Social Stars: Drinks that Rocked the Internet!

BC’s Regional Flagships

All in the Family

BC Winter Whites

2020
Top Tier Cabs under $25

Takeout & Wine: Winning Pairings for an Evening In

Toast to BC with Bubbles

Gift With Confidence

Aug-Sept 2021
Shifting a Passion for Wine Into a Career (pg. 12-13)

July-Aug 2019
Balancing Motherhood With A Career in Wine (pg. 18-19)

Sept 2021
Wines Behind Bordeaux’s Region: About Entre-Deux-Mers

Fall 2020
Raising Foodies (pg. 22)

Wine Reviews WestCoast-1

Wine Reviews Pour-1

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March 2020
Best Restaurants 2020 – Allora Everyday Italian online or e-issue (page 43)

April 2020
Ethical Wines for Earth Day

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Fall 2020
Elegant Aperitifs for an Elevated Evening

Dec 2018 online
Elevate your holiday cocktails with Blackpool Spiced Rum

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Dec 2018 online
A Taste of Place through Zuccardi Wines

April 2020
Pizza Pairing Perfection (pg. 28-29)

Wine Reviews Alchemist-1

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Grateful doesn’t even begin to cover it. 🌟 20

Grateful doesn’t even begin to cover it. 🌟 2024 has been a year of extraordinary opportunities and places I never thought possible. To the incredible wine and travel communities and connections who’ve inspired and uplifted me, thank you! To my family, your love and support are the foundation of it all. ❤️ I don’t expect the same in 2025; life pivots and adjusts to where you are and need to be. I continue to be curious and open to whatever comes next. ✨

PS Thanks for watching my travel log in three parts. I refuse to pay for the app option to make it into one 😂

#grateful #thankful #keepgrowing #winewriter #travelwriter

Four years later than planned — we finally celeb

Four years later than planned — we finally celebrated our 10th anniversary in Rome. Even with four additional years of wedded bliss under our belts, we didn’t forget how much we like and how well we travel together. Breakfast cappuccinos, multi-stop drinking and dining, and walking over any other kind of transportation are how we do things — and it was perfect.

An entirely separate food and drink post is coming 😀

1. Colosseum, Rome - heading inside with our tour group. We paid extra to see the underground and walk where the gladiators walked, and it was worth every penny.
2. A bunch of literal relics.
3. “We’re here, now what?” Going back to the hotel for a nap was our ultimate decision.
4. Spanish Steps - our hotel was a 2-minute walk away; we loved coming here at dusk to people-watch.
5. The Rome Zoo (@bioparcoroma)isn’t on any tourist lists, but it should be! We stumbled across it with an hour to kill, so we went in and said ‘hey’ to all the animals.
6. The best cocktails of the trip at the @stregisrome.
7. Sunset views from Terrazza del Pincio.
8. Vatican views from inside Castel Sant’Angelo.
9. Roman views from the top of Castel Sant’Angelo.
10. Rooftop cocktails and bites at @biohotelraphaelroma near Piazza Navona.
11. Nighttime, looking towards our hotel from the top of the Spanish Steps.
12. Sunday morning in Rome.
13. Where to next?

When a nugget of an idea in spring 2023 comes to f

When a nugget of an idea in spring 2023 comes to fruition across ten beautifully inked pages in fall 2024 - I can say it’s a feeling like no other.

Grab the fall issue of @fullpourmag to read my article about why it might be time for a change in Canada, where hybrid grapes have an important winemaking history without much recognition within the country’s regulatory quality alliance.

Let’s take a poll: should hybrid grapes play a more prominent role in BC and Ontario’s VQA?

#canadianwine #hybridgrapes #fullpour #allthedrinks⁠

It’s safe to say my travel standards have hit ne

It’s safe to say my travel standards have hit new heights 🤩. My stay at the @ritzcarltonlascolinas was one for the books, with sweeping golf course views, a pool that felt like our own, numerous on-site restaurants to choose from, Club Lounge access (which included epic late-night treats) and the full meal deal spa and wellness experience. Once you go #ritz, you never go back. Immensely grateful for the memories 😊

#RCLasColinas #RCMemories #texashotel #hotellife

🍷 I had an incredible lunch at @fineprintyyc in

🍷 I had an incredible lunch at @fineprintyyc in Calgary, where Jean-Claude Mas joined us to introduce a lineup of @paulmaswines straight from the heart of the Languedoc. 🔹Highlights: The sparkling and whites hit it out of the park: 🍾 Blanquette de Limoux Brut (a blend of Mauzac, Chardonnay, and Chenin blanc), Souvignier Gris, and Soleil Blanc — a true showcase of Languedoc’s terroir!

#paulmaswines #yycrestaurants #languedocwines #winelover

In my latest for @decanter: Western Canada’s win

In my latest for @decanter: Western Canada’s wine-growing capital is a haven for food lovers - if you know where to look. Check out nine essential restaurants and wine bars you won’t want to miss.

https://www.decanter.com/wine/kelowna-nine-top-spots-for-food-and-wine-531476/

Are Okanagan GSM blends safe(ish) from climate cha

Are Okanagan GSM blends safe(ish) from climate change?

With the release for @hestercreek1968’s latest wine, a GSM blend, it got me thinking - how many Okanagan Valley producers believe warm climate Southern Rhône varieties, like grenache, syrah, and mourvèdre, will shine in the face of increasing summer temperatures?

Read about it on VineRoutes.ca: https://vineroutes.com/are-okanagan-gsm-blends-safeish-from-climate-change/

@road13vineyards @pentagewinery @winesofbc

#gsmblend #bcwine #winearticle

What happens when you eat an appy, main, and desse

What happens when you eat an appy, main, and dessert for every meal while visiting Southern Rhône? You end up with a lot of food pictures that deserve to be showcased.

Europeans eat different, three courses are customary. They indulge, savor, and don’t need snacks in between meals.

I’ve always been that person that travels with snacks, in case gluten free meal options are a challenge. But this trip, I didn’t need a single one.

So enjoy my reel of food 🥗- I know I did! 😋

🍷✨ When you find a 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

🍷✨ When you find a 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape in your collection and wonder if it’s still in its prime —

🤔🍇 In this case, I was surprised to discover that I should have drunk it yesteryear. There was nearly no fruit character, and it had a bitter quality.

But really, all the Southern Rhône vintage charts say 2017 is still safely in its ‘drink’ window. So what happened here? Did I get a bum bottle?

Any vintage experts have any insight?

#ChateauneufDuPape #2017Vintage

Add @notch8restaurant to your list the next time y

Add @notch8restaurant to your list the next time you’re in Vancouver, if not for the lux ambience, then for the Rhubarb Bee’s Knees! 🐝

Exclusively inside the @fairmontvan, this cocktail blends @thebotanistgin, @sheringhamdistillery Rhubarb Liqueur, fresh lemon, @giffardcanada Strawberry, and a touch of honey. Sweet, tart, and oh-so-refreshing, it’s the perfect drink to celebrate the sunny season. 🌞🍋

#FairmontHotelVancouver #Notch8 #CocktailTime

Visiting the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA in early May

Visiting the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA in early May was the perfect dose of Cali sun ☀️ I needed.

Standing on mountain tops 🏔️, strolling the slopes, driving through redwood forests 🌳 - this massive region has limitless views to take in. The wines 🍷 are equally impressive, with a multitude of personalities delivering unique, fun, and expressive wines.

Full article is coming about the smaller (boutique perhaps?) wineries in this expansive AVA. Keep your eyes 👀 out!

🍇✨ 1 Mill Road wines are nothing short of dis

🍇✨ 1 Mill Road wines are nothing short of distinctive. I relished tasting through the focused portfolio with winemaker Ben Bryant last month, each bottle offering laser-like focus and individuality.

A relatively new venture for Bryant and partner in wine, Kate Truscott, the duo took over 1 Mill Road from David and Cynthia Enns, founders of Laughing Stock Vineyards, in 2022.

For Bryant, former chief winemaker for Pernod Ricard Australia and VP of winemaker at Mission Hill, it's about crafting single-vineyard expressions while maintaining sustainable practices.

"Our view is to be single-vineyard with a very purposeful intent in how we grow," says Bryant.

🌟 1 Mill Road Highlights:
* 2023 Rosé: From a 2.5-acre parcel on the East Kelowna Slopes sub-GI. A clean thread in style from 2022 with juicy acidity and refreshing red berry fruit flavours. The 2023 has a textural richness on the palate from a slightly warmer vintage. Increased barrel and lees stirring gives the impression of weight and viscosity, offering a layered mid-palate.
* 2022 Chardonnay: From the same East Kelowna slopes vineyard — aged in French barrels (12% new). The acidity is persistent from start to finish and marries well with the oak. Flavours of peach, apple blossom, and wet stone, restrained and non-overt. An anti-Okanagan style.
* 2022 Black Pine Pinot Noir: Produced on a 4-acre Naramate Bench vineyard, one of the bench’s most northerly sites. 20% whole cluster, aged for 9 months in 1, 2 and 3-year-old French barriques. Incredible brightness and perfume intensity. The palate offers an integrity and structure, perfectly marrying bright red fruit flavours with acidity.
* 2022 Home Block Pinot Noir: Home Block is a 1.5-acre vineyard on the Naramata Bench, planted in 2013. 30% whole cluster and fermented in foudres, this wine highlights the stability of the growing season, growing gracefully without heat spikes. The vine age offers riper fruit flavours with fine cocoa powder-esque tannins — excellent integration with a seamless texture.

Thank you, Ben and Katie, for sharing your wines!

Six-pack shipments are available directly from the winery across Canada. https://www.1millroad.ca

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