It’s funny how people kind of struggle to take you seriously when you say your passion is alcohol. Sometimes people look at me as if they can’t quite figure out if I’m being serious. And well, as many jokes as I do finding myself making about it, it’s true!

My first love is wine; when I hit my 20’s I loved doing tastings; I was fascinated at how and why different things were affecting each wine. I never really  considered that it could be called a hobby until one day my brother-in-law said about himself:

‘Some people like sports, or art… I like eating and drinking.’

That was a huge light-bulb moment and it’s been my ‘hobby’ ever since, setting me on this path. (He loves it when I tell that story)

Wine is still my first love, but I’m also developing a taste and curiosity for spirits – living in Montreal will do that to you. I wanted to go on a holiday to get away from the crazy Quebec weather lately, and was deciding between rum and tequila… I mean Cuba and Mexico. I decided on tequila Mexico and tasted every tequila I could get my hands on.

I’m lucky enough to work with in the industry, with a job that is literally about inspiring love for wine! So why do I like alcohol so much? Is it the killer dance moves it leads to? Nope. I had them anyway 😉 I love alcohol for 10 reasons:

1. The craft: Every wine has so many subtleties, things that are derived from differences in soils, climate, growing techniques, winemaking… I could go on and on! Spirits do too – I know people who could blind taste 10 different vodkas, identify each and explain the differences. Pretty cool.

   

   2. The scale: No matter how much you know, there is always so much more that you could learn, it’s a constant journey of discovery!

   3. The dynamics: it’s constantly evolving and changing – trends, methods, innovations … there’s always something new and exciting going on.

   4. The Pride: producers of these products have so much pride and passion for what they do, it’s so contagious.

   

   5. The Appellations and regulations: In fact, some regions have so much pride they have strict guidelines for producers. Well-known examples are champagne and tequila; these products can only come from their specific geographical locations and abide by rules to maintain their quality.

   6.The issues: It’s a really interesting industry to pull apart and full understand – there’s so much involved with legislation, taxing, exports and responsibility.

   7. The Travel: my love for wine has taken me from Australia, to NZ, Spain and California. Tequila was a massive part of my travel in mexico, and there are so many countries on my list – top ones being France for wine and Cuba for Rum!

   

   8. The good times: Alcohol is often present when people are being social, and enjoying great moments. It’s synonymous with fun.

   9.The food: Alcohol – and specifically wine – goes hand-in-hand with good food! And well, I do love good food.

   10. The people: Finally, the people in the alcohol industry ABSOLUTELY ROCK. From colleagues, to competitors, from company CEOs to the farmers growing the grapes. They’re so friendly, fun, and accommodating; I meet a new friend from the industry almost every day, and it’s community I’m so happy to be a part of.

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