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Alison Moyes loves Pinot Noir and it's clear that it's mutual. Working with this grape for the past 15 years, she has met the challenges of the most finicky of grapes variety in three different wineries in three different sub-regions with apparent ease. She's curious, thoughtful, and well-spoken, all of which you will hear in this candid conversation that took place near the end of her 5th vintage with Solvero Wines. 

Turns out we had a lot in common, growing up in central Canada, going to university on the east coast, and then coming to BC. It was fun to finally be able to sit down and chat with her about wine, the university, and everything. 

Disclaimer: When I have winemakers on this podcast, it tends to get a little geeky. We don’t really stop to explain some of the more technical things that we talk about but please search for anything that you don't understand. Learning is fun!

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Veronica Woodruff's Blind Drunk: A Sober Look at our Boozy Culture is exactly the commentary on the culture of alcohol we need right now. I’ve written about cavalier attitudes towards alcohol before in blogs and even in parts of the Sipster’s books but I was thrilled to see a full-length book about it.  

Blind Drunk is 3 parts memoir and 1 part academic research. Written from a place of serious authority by the right person at the right time, Veronica has asked tough questions without judgement or an agenda. Agree or disagree, she provides a safe space to challenge what the role of alcohol is in modern society. The answers are on a spectrum rather than being clear-cut black and white. This should be essential reading for anyone who drinks anything. 

Find Blind Drunk on Veronica's website. 

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OMG, it's finally the start of the 4th season of the Sipter's Podcast!! Where have we been? 

Working. Hard. And a lot. Jess and I have both been busy but were glad to take some time out to do something we both love doing - tasting wine and recording podcasts. In this episode, we dive into the big topics - What is Luke's favourite white wine, what's up with the 2025 vintage, and are the wines made with non-BC grapes really worth it? 

Sit back, pour yourself a glass of something you find tasty, and enjoy! 

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Clos du Soleil invited me to their annual vertical tasting in the fall of 2012 and I gladly attended this exclusive outdoor event. Listening back to it now, things seemed a little more innocent. Few people knew that any wines from BC could actually age and many wineries were on the hook to prove it. Clos du Soleil was one of the first wineries to really stick their neck out to prove that it could be done and this is the result. 

Disclaimer: I used to work for Clos du Soleil but a few years after this recording was made. Part of my job was organizing these vertical tastings, which I did in 2016 and 2017, when the vertical featured 10 full years of the Capella and Signature. That event, brilliantly catered by the late Natasha Schooten, is easily on the top of my top 5 list of the most amazing tasting experiences I have ever had and will never, ever forget. 

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The fourth Summer Flashback has a story that goes back beyond the original April 2011 release of this episode. Ted Kane and I talk about his wines and the beautiful site on which he chose to plant his vineyard.

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This interview is an interesting timepiece for me because of the situation. Recorded in the fall of 2011, it was at a time in my life where I was constantly meeting people who had history to share. Jennifer 's family had history on this property and interviews like this started me down a path to becoming a writer. Also, it was recorded in The View's barrel cellar and it just sounds cool. Jennifer has become a great industry friend and has appeared previously on this podcast (Episode 23 from March 2023). Enjoy!

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This is the second Sipster's Summer Flashback with episodes from my Wine Country BC podcast that began in 2009. This conversation is from an episode released in June 2010 and features Mike Nierychlo and Mike Rathjen. At the time, they were passionate about wine and made videos about it on YouTube. It was only a few years later that they both opened wineries on Vancouver Island. Mike Nierychlo opened Emandare Wines in Duncan, BC and Mike Rathjen started Rathjen Cellars in Saanich, BC. 

Mike Nierychlo Online YouTube Channel 

Emandare Vineyards

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This is the first Sipster's Summer Flashback series with episodes from my Wine Country BC podcast that began in 2009. Tonight’s conversation is from an episode released in April of 2010 and features John Skinner, owner of Painted Rock winery right before he’d even opened the doors on a temporary wine shop (a home depot shack). It’s a cool conversation that shows the beginnings of a winery that has now become a Grand Cru of the Okanagan valley. 

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This is part 2 of the whiskey tasting with Paul Henbury. 

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It's a Sipster gathering around a small basement table with one of my oldest friends Paul Henbury. Paul has been in the hospitality industry and worked at wineries in the Okanagan Valley so he knows his way around a wine tasting. When he mentioned his favour way to taste whisky in a discussion a few weeks back, I knew it would be perfect for a podcast. 

This is part 1 of 2. Part 2 which is coming out next week. 

Welcome to the Sipsters Podcast!

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