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 her introduction into wine through some mutual SOMM friends, getting stuck while driving through vineyards, the French and their obsessive lunch...

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 stable of wines.  Get ready for a fun conversation. Pull up a chair, grab a glass and enjoy!   Follow Chateau Canet...

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, and really digs deep. Get it?? She's a geologist... come on!!! That's good stuff!!     Get ready for a fun conversation. Pull up a chair, grab...

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. Chatting inside, this place feels like it has been open for years. We also talk about how Laurie got into wine, her love of wine, travels through Italy,...

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 and enjoy!    For podcast updates and to follow the show as we source out future guests look us up on...

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 follow the show as we source out future guests look us up on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/ianswinetruths/   All music found in this...

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 glass and enjoy!   Check them out when you are in Sonoma! https://www.gracianna.com/   Gracianna Winery and their Instagram content can be found...

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 projects, consulting, and their hospitality training, we dive deep into all areas. Get ready for a fun conversation. Pull up a chair, grab a glass and...

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 Mill Road Winery with her boyfriend Ben Bryant, there is always something going on in Katie's world. We talk, we reminisce, and we drink pinot, of...

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 conversation. Pull up a chair, grab a glass and enjoy! Black Swift Vineyards- https://blackswiftvineyards.com/   Grayson and his Instagram...

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, CSW is a rising star sommelier in the Southern wine scene. Chuck can be found in Jackson, Miss. at Bravo Italian Restaurant, where he curates...

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 artist and television host based in Hong Kong and at 32 is the youngest female Master of Wine and Asia-Pacific’s youngest. Sarah created the...

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 we delve into his recent Oregon winemaker series. Lawrence and I also talk about what makes a good guest and some of our favourite episodes,...

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 series, with multiple shows geared towards various topics, regions, importers, or other areas. He has had success not only in the wine trade,...

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, their various expressions of pinot that Dave is making, Lois and her Cho Wines social media presence and much much more.      Get ready...

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 was a blast to record with some great friends.      Get ready for a fun conversation. Pull up a chair, grab a glass and...

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 wines given the volatility of the recent wildfires, the ups and downs of their company coming out of the pandemic, the beauty of visiting...

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 taking the plunge and venturing out with his wife Sara on their own project, Pilcrow Wine. We also chat wine tasting, his amazing wine...

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 new show each Friday, with some additional youtube or instagram live content from time to time.    In this episode, we go into cigar culture, wine...

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 glass and enjoy!   Photos and liner notes of all guests appearing on the show can be found on our...

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 online sessions include "Wines by the Fireplace", which features a casual conversation to educate and answer questions related to different...

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 favourite episodes from 2020. Those include my conversations with Brenna Quigley, MS Sabato Sagaria, Bobbie Burgess, Brett Thiessen, Grayson...

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's, his degree in viticulture and enology, and he shares some fun stories about how he got the wine bug while skiing in Chile.          Winemaster...

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 she couldn't live without, and many many segues. A lot of segues. We also talk about why and how Brenna got into creating her podcast and what she...