Ottawa Wine and Food Festival

Ashley Quesnel

MediaPlus — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:58:15 +0000

Ashley Quesnel was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. Her passion for about all things related to wine has been a lifelong pursuit and in fact has become an important part of her career path. This was clearly demonstrated in her rapid advancement to Product Consultant last year after only four years with the LCBO! As one of our team of highly trained and informed product experts Ashley, continues to build on her knowledge. She graduated from Algonquin College’s Sommelier Program in July 2010 with Honours and most recently completed the WSET Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits with Distinction. She is now studying to complete her WSET Diploma. Ashley loves to travel and has visited wineries in Italy, Greece and will be travelling to South Africa in October 2011.

Linda McPhee

MediaPlus — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:57:48 +0000

Linda McPhee is a certified sommelier who graduated with Honours from the Algonquin College Sommelier Program in 2008. She has completed the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Advanced Certificate with Merit and is currently a WSET Diploma Candidate, to graduate in 2012. In 2011, Linda launched 13 Celsius Inc., with her daughter Geneviève, offering courses and services related to wine, spirits, food and travel. Linda’s next goal is to obtain Le Grand Diplôme from Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute.

Neil Gowe

MediaPlus — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:57:20 +0000

In 2002, Neil Gowe joined Luxe Bistro as Sommelier and Beverage Director—building the wine list from the ground up—a passion that has never lost its luster. Gowe is driven to produce an award-winning wine portfolio that keeps wine aficionados and amateur wine lovers coming back for more—a pursuit that has not been unrewarded. Under Gowe’s direction, Luxe has been awarded the prestigious Wine Spectator Award every year since it’s opening, as well as Epicurean awards for excellence in wine and food pairing. As well, under his direction, Stella has received the Wine Spectator Award. His loyal customers praise his talent and appreciate his passion for sharing his knowledge.

Gowe admits that he has much to learn and that his wine education will never be complete. He continues to take formal wine training courses, and is currently enrolled in the Advanced Sommelier Certificate from WSET working towards a Master Sommelier designation, all of which, enrich his knowledge and feed his passion for teaching others.

Gowe leads regular wine seminars for his staff, and presents winemaker dinners, wine tastings and events for Ottawa’s experienced and amateur wine lovers. He also enjoys acting as a consultant to establishments that seek his expertise, participating in wine and food shows, as well as assisting individuals who want to build personal wine collections.

Gowe’s infectious love of wine is an inspiration. His dynamic personality and impressive knowledge bring customers back again and again to enjoy great wines and great conversation.

Elyse Lambert

MediaPlus — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:56:48 +0000

Elyse Lambert began her sommelier career at Relais & Châteaux property L’Eau à la Bouche in Ste-Adèle, Quebec, with subsequent positions at Auberge Hatley, a 5 diamond CAA and Relais & Châteaux property and XO, the restaurant at Montréal’s Hôtel Le St James. She is currently the chief sommelier at restaurant Le Local in Old Montreal and was the Official Spokesperson of the 8th and 9th editions of the Montréal Wine and Spirits Show in 2008 and 2010. Élyse obtained her Diploma in hotel management from l’Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (1998) and sommelier training from L’École Hôtelière des Laurentides (1999). She has been invited by the Court of Master Sommeliers for consideration to obtain the designation of Master Sommelier (MS) and successfully completed three of the four levels of this prestigious certification. In addition to her formal training, Elyse has competed and been named Best Sommelier in Québec (2004) and third in Canada in 2006. In the spring of 2009, Elyse won the Competition for the Best Sommelier of the Americas held in Buenos Aires, and in April 2010, represented Canada at the Best Sommelier of the World Competition in Chile, where she finished among the top dozen finalists in the world.

Veronique Rivest

MediaPlus — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:56:17 +0000

Veronique Rivest is a professional sommelier, educator and wine writer. She writes for Journal Le Droit, Le Cellier (SAQ) and Châtelaine magazines, has a wine column on French CBC Radio and contributes to many other magazines, radio and television shows. Veronique was Canada’s Best Sommelier in 2006, Wine Woman of the Year in 2007 and placed among the Top 12 in the World’s Best Sommelier Competition in 2007 and 2010.

Pieter Van den Weghe

MediaPlus — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:55:15 +0000

Pieter Van den Weghe is the Sommelier of Beckta dining & wine and a graduate of both Algonquin’s College’s Sommelier Program and WSET’s Level 3. Nearly 18 years of service and sommelier experience have shown him there’s always more you can learn about wine and how to tell its many stories to people. Outside of his restaurant duties, he teaches at Algonquin College and writes for Diplomat magazine.

Marie-France Marquis

MediaPlus — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:54:49 +0000

Marie-France Marquis is a wine writer who focuses mostly on the Ontario and Quebec markets. Each month, Marie-France tastes a new selection of wine, including from the Vintages section of the LCBO and publishes her recommendations on her blog, Les bacchuseries de Marie-France. Marie-France is also actively engaged in various local wine organizations, judges in wine shows, teaches the fundamentals of wine, and organizes tasting events.

Charles Lauzon

MediaPlus — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:46:45 +0000

Charles Lauzon became an LCBO Product Consultant in 1995 and since that time has taken part in countless conferences and product tastings to stay on the leading edge of the industry. Classic premium Bordeaux tastings are at the top of his list of tutored tastings. In 2002 he achieved the Advanced Certificate from the International Wine Education Guild. Charles has conducted various educational programs at LCBO events kitchens including choosing wines for many private events designed to pair perfectly with the menu. His extensive knowledge and approachability make him a trusted source in his latest role as Vintages Licensee Coordinator for Ottawa/Kingston.

Grayson McDiarmid

MediaPlus — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:42:04 +0000

Grayson McDiarmid is the Wine Director at Play food and wine. Grayson has been working in restaurants since he was legally allowed to, starting at a small pub in Wales. He worked at many restaurants in Calgary where he got bitten by the wine bug. He studied wine through the Wine and Spirit Education Trust finishing with a distinction award in the Advanced unit.

While studying wine, Grayson worked in a fine dining restaurant and in an independent wine shop. He then returned home to Ottawa where he became the Sommelier for the CAA/AAA 4 diamond property, The Brookstreet Hotel, and worked there until Steve Beckta decided to look for Play’s Wine Director. Grayson was Play’s first employee and helped (sometimes

comically) with its construction. In addition to working at Play, Grayson also teaches the Advanced portion at the Algonquin College Sommelier program.

Martin Remillard

MediaPlus — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:41:31 +0000

Martin is a graduate sommelier from Algonquin College and recipient of the Cave Spring Award of Excellence. He is product consultant at the SAQ and a weekly wine columnist at the French radio station Planète 97.1 FM. Martin also works with private clients to manage and grow their wine cellars to maximize pleasure and value. Intrigued by wine and food pairing, Martin organizes wine-themed corporate and special events that highlight the power of wine through food. A passionate communicator, he is the coordinator and teacher in the Sommelier Program at la Cité collégiale in Ottawa. He is also a member of the jury for the All Canadian Wine Championships, one of the most prestigious wine competitions in the country.