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| | | | | | | | Anthony Gismondi | IBM Boardroom Tastings Editor-in-Chief, Wine Access Magazine Head Judge (CWA)
Judge (IVWA)
Head Taster Wine Access Western Tasting Panel Anthony Gismondi is well known as one of Canada’s best known wine critics. In fact, he may very well be the single most influential wine critic in Canada. Quite single-handedly, his reviews sell - or stall - the sale of wine in western Canada.
Anthony’s accomplishments with Wine Access began in 1997, when he, along with David Lawrason, conceptualized Wine Access as a national magazine. He has written for Wine Access as a senior editor for the past 10 years, along with being the weekly wine columnist for the Vancouver Sun (17 years) and wine editor at CityFood. Every week for the past 16 years he’s sat down for a two-hour Vancouver-based radio show entitled, “The Best of Food and Wine” on CFUN 1410AM with noted food critic and Wine Access contributor Kasey Wilson. Anthony is a founding member of the Advisory Board of Cuisine Canada, consults to various parties including Air Canada and is one of five wine consultants to the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. His personal website, GismondiOnWine.com features thousands of wine reviews and receives more than 400,000 hits each month. | | | | John Gilchrist
| Lunch with John Gilchrist - March 3, 5, 7 & 10, 2008 Contributor Along with several contributions to Wine Access, John is a Calgary-based food writer and instructor who has reviewed restaurants for CBC Radio One since 1980. He is the author of seven bestsellers on dining in the Calgary area. He writes a regular food business column for the Calgary Herald and is a frequent contributor to Wine Access, along with a role as contributing editor to Avenue Magazine and Where Calgary. John teaches courses in continuing Education at the University of Calgary and spent a decade working at the Glenbow Museum. | | | | | Toni Batet | Miguel Torres Blind Dinner Experience - March 5, 2008 Presenter, Torres Blind Experience Toni Batet Collado was educated in both Barcelona and Toulouse, obtaining several diplomas and certificates including "Formation Complementaire de Sommelerie", the Professional Diploma of Sommelier, and the WSET Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits. Having gained experience in various internationally rated hotels and dining rooms, Toni is currently the Sommelier for Torres Winery as well as the Torres Wines and Food Festvial Coordinator. | | | | | David Lawrason | IBM Boardroom Tastings Founding Editor, Wine Access Magazine David Lawrason founded Wine Access in 1991; he is a former Editor-in-Chief of the magazine and former Editor of Wine Access' First in Line eReport. David was wine columnist for the Globe and Mail from 1986 to 1999, and has written exclusively about wine for other publications as well for almost twenty years. In 2001, he launched the Canadian Wine Awards. He stepped down as editor-in-chief to focus on research, writing and tasting while continuing to contribute his expertise to the magazine and website. www.davidlawrason.com | | | | | Jean-François Curie | Winemakers Dinner - March 6, 2008 Vice-President Sales and Marketing, Joseph Drouhin Jean-François Curie studied oenology in Burgundy. He has been honoured as a Member of the Board of Grand Consul de la Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (Burgundy) and a Commandeur du Bontemps du Médoc et des Graves. He has worked for Boisset, La Grande Famille Des Grands Vins and Charles-Vienot. He is currently the Vice-President of Sales & Market for the celebrated Burgundian négociant Joseph Drouhin. | | | | Michael Bigattini | Big Reds & Big Steaks Seminars - March 8 & 15, 2008 Senior Product Consulting, Willow Park Wines & Spirits Growing up in the Okanagan Valley Michael developed a strong love of wine. He made his first wine at the age of nine with a kit he gave his dad. He started his young career by bartending at family functions which led to serving at fine dining restaurants, being an employee at a wine house, becoming a wine rep, working for an award winning B.C. winery and hosting many shows including Wine Basics, Beer Basics and Vine to Wine. For the last six years he has been a wine expert at Willow Park Wines & Spirits where his job involves assisting customers in choosing the perfect wine for their specific needs. He also host wine tasting events and makes appearances at special functions. | | | | | Mark Davidson | IBM Boardroom Tastings Sommelier, VinFX Wine Communication Born in London and raised in Sydney, Mark has been a Canadian resident since 1985. He spent over twenty-five years in the hotel and restaurant business, fifteen of those as a sommelier. He is instrumental in the on-going development of the curriculum for the International Sommelier Guild and teaches classes for them on a weekly basis in Vancouver and San Francisco. Mark writes articles for Wine Access and Western Living, does a weekly radio wine reviews in Vancouver and developed a wine education and restaurant etiquette course for SFU Global Asset and Wealth Management MBA program. | | | | | Laurie MacKay | Wine & Cheese Seminars - March 8 & 15, 2008 Sommelier
Laurie’s love of wine appreciation was ignited during her many travels abroad in the 1990s but now she mainly travels vicariously through each glass of wine that, with the help of her vivid imagination, can transport her to any vineyard in the world she wishes to go to!
She began working in wine in 1999 at a popular wine boutique in Calgary. A wine educator for many years, Laurie particularly enjoyed her many classes specializing in cheese & wine pairings with Calgary cheese guru Janice Beaton. She obtained her ISG Sommelier certificate in 2005 and has plans to continue her education through WSET Diploma Program. In 2007 she was a preliminary judge for Wine Access’ International Value Wine Awards. She is a monthly contributor to CBC Radio One on The Homestretch with Jeff Collins – together they host a virtual wine tasting. |
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