Kurtis Kolt was awarded the Sommelier of the Year Award at the 2010 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival.
Read More on Cherries And Clay, Kurtis’s Blog >>>
He is the General Manager at Gastown, Vancouver’s Salt Tasting Room and has been in the Vancouver wine and food industry for the better part of two decades. He is a passionate supporter of BC wines, and has been at the forefront of introducing them to Vancouver consumers. He is certified by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, The Wine Academy of Spain and is credited in the Winemaking program at UC Davis.
Read More on The Globe And Mail >>>
Kurtis’ managing and wine-directing experience has launched two local restaurants, Main Street’s Aurora Bistro and Gastown’s Salt Tasting Room onto the international culinary map… Both restaurants won gold as Best New Restaurant in the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards and were named one of Canada’s Top Ten New Restaurants by enRoute Magazine in their respective years. Along with receiving a Gold Award for his much-acclaimed wine program at Salt Tasting Room from the Vancouver International Wine Festival, Kurtis has received the Premier Crew Service Award from Vancouver magazine. He’s also not half as serious as all of this makes him sound.
Read More from Andrew Morrison on Scout Magazine >>>
House Wines, Two Trained Sommeliers
House Wines is co-owned by Michelle Bouffard, and Michaela Morris, both trained Sommeliers.
house wine advocates wine pleasure without pretense, where wine is demystified and laughs are guaranteed. Find out more about house wine and the services they provide.
Michaela Morris
- Michaela Morris, Sommelier, co-owner House Wines
Michaela earned her bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and French from the University of British Columbia, funding her studies by working in fine dining restaurants. A one year exchange program led her back to France where she discovered the wine region of Burgundy.
It was there that she decided to pursue a career in the industry. She enrolled in the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) classes and was awarded a scholarship by the Vancouver Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier for the WSET’s Diploma Programme. She successfully completed the program in 2005 and is currently a guest lecturer for the WSET Diploma.
Michelle Bouffard
- Michelle Bouffard, Sommelier, co-owner House Wines
Michelle grew up in Québec where she studied classical trumpet and performed, taught and conducted music. She moved to Vancouver in 1996 to finish her bachelor’s degree in classical music and learn English.
In 2003, she completed her International Sommelier Diploma with top marks and today she teaches for the International Sommelier Guild. Michelle continued her wine education with the completion of the internationally recognized Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s (WSET) Diploma Program in 2007. Her first year was funded by a scholarship awarded by the Vancouver Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier.
April/May 2010: New Zealand the Green
“The picture perfect wine producer continues to redefine its story.” Just in time for the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, Michaela & Michelle provide a primer on New Zealand’s wine regions and share their favourite outdoor, cultural and gastronomic experiences.
Michaela and Michelle conducted a seminar at the recent 2010 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival called “Get The Dirt On New Zealand Terroir.” They gave an overview, compiled from their 3 weeks of travel to the country late last year, on the main 8 wine-growing regions of the island nation south of the equator.
During last week’s festival, The Globe And Mail, Canada’s national newspaper, did a profile Q&A on each of them. Here is a slice of excerpt from both…
Globe And Mail Q&A With Michaela Morris
What wine are you most excited to taste at the festival?
MM: With hundreds of wines to taste, it is impossible to choose just one. I look forward to indulging in plenty of wines from Argentina and New Zealand but always like to make time to visit the German tables. There are usually great off-the-beaten track surprises. Bürgerspital Estate from the region of Franken is definitely on my list. Beyond their Riesling Spätlese, they are also pouring a Gewürztraminer and a Scheurebe as well as a Rieslander Beerenauslese.
Q&A With Michelle Bouffard by Globe And Mail
What wine are you most excited to taste at the festival?
MB: Oyster Bay Sparkling Cuvée NV from New Zealand to satiate my bubble craving and Zorzal Pinot Noir to transport me to sunny Argentina.
You’re going to a dinner party tonight. You have $20 to spend on a bottle of wine from the BCLB. What would you buy?
MB: 2008 Schloss Reinhartshausen, Riesling Dry, Rheingau, Germany, $19.99. I love introducing people to dry Riesling. Its low alcohol content is a bonus. It allows you to drink a few more sips.
Twitter @LocalFoodWine
House Wines, Two Trained Sommeliers
House Wines is co-owned by Michelle Bouffard, and Michaela Morris, both trained Sommeliers.
house wine advocates wine pleasure without pretense, where wine is demystified and laughs are guaranteed. Find out more about house wine and the services they provide.
Michaela Morris
- Michaela Morris, Sommelier, co-owner House Wines
Michaela earned her bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and French from the University of British Columbia, funding her studies by working in fine dining restaurants. A one year exchange program led her back to France where she discovered the wine region of Burgundy.
It was there that she decided to pursue a career in the industry. She enrolled in the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) classes and was awarded a scholarship by the Vancouver Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier for the WSET’s Diploma Programme. She successfully completed the program in 2005 and is currently a guest lecturer for the WSET Diploma.
Michelle Bouffard
- Michelle Bouffard, Sommelier, co-owner House Wines
Michelle grew up in Québec where she studied classical trumpet and performed, taught and conducted music. She moved to Vancouver in 1996 to finish her bachelor’s degree in classical music and learn English.
In 2003, she completed her International Sommelier Diploma with top marks and today she teaches for the International Sommelier Guild. Michelle continued her wine education with the completion of the internationally recognized Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s (WSET) Diploma Program in 2007. Her first year was funded by a scholarship awarded by the Vancouver Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier.
April/May 2010: New Zealand the Green
“The picture perfect wine producer continues to redefine its story.” Just in time for the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, Michaela & Michelle provide a primer on New Zealand’s wine regions and share their favourite outdoor, cultural and gastronomic experiences.
Michaela and Michelle conducted a seminar at the recent 2010 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival called “Get The Dirt On New Zealand Terroir.” They gave an overview, compiled from their 3 weeks of travel to the country late last year, on the main 8 wine-growing regions of the island nation south of the equator.
During last week’s festival, The Globe And Mail, Canada’s national newspaper, did a profile Q&A on each of them. Here is a slice of excerpt from both…
Globe And Mail Q&A With Michaela Morris
What wine are you most excited to taste at the festival?
MM: With hundreds of wines to taste, it is impossible to choose just one. I look forward to indulging in plenty of wines from Argentina and New Zealand but always like to make time to visit the German tables. There are usually great off-the-beaten track surprises. Bürgerspital Estate from the region of Franken is definitely on my list. Beyond their Riesling Spätlese, they are also pouring a Gewürztraminer and a Scheurebe as well as a Rieslander Beerenauslese.
Q&A With Michelle Bouffard by Globe And Mail
What wine are you most excited to taste at the festival?
MB: Oyster Bay Sparkling Cuvée NV from New Zealand to satiate my bubble craving and Zorzal Pinot Noir to transport me to sunny Argentina.
You’re going to a dinner party tonight. You have $20 to spend on a bottle of wine from the BCLB. What would you buy?
MB: 2008 Schloss Reinhartshausen, Riesling Dry, Rheingau, Germany, $19.99. I love introducing people to dry Riesling. Its low alcohol content is a bonus. It allows you to drink a few more sips.
Twitter @LocalFoodWine
CALIFORNIA WINEMAKER’S DINNER
April 6, 6:30 PM Seasons in the Park Restaurant
Queen Elizabeth Park
April 6, 6:30 PM Seasons in the Park Restaurant
Queen Elizabeth Park
Join us for a special California Winemaker’s Reception and Dinner featuring wines from Robert Mondavi Winery.
Nicole Meacham, an International Wines Associate based in California, and Leslie Gadoury, Brand Manager for Robert, will be here to provide insight about each of the wines which will then be masterfully paired with a four-course dinner prepared by Executive Chef at Seasons in the Park, Buddy Wolfe. Seasons features a stunning panoramic view of the city, and is the perfect setting to enjoy this exciting wine selection.
CALIFORNIA WINE FAIR BALLROOM TASTING
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2010
Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre, 999 Canada Place. 7PM
Now in its 30th year of touring across Canada, the 2010 CALIFORNIA WINE FAIR BALLROOM TASTING boasts 350 wines from 100 wineries throughout the Golden State. Under one roof, the range of wines include products currently available in the market to new vintages and varietals that have yet to be released in the Canadian market. Six hundred guests sample wines, and bid on silent auction items including many of the hard-to-find wines featured at the tasting.
WINE 101
Thursday, April 15, 7:00 PM
Buschlen Mowatt Galleries Main Floor – 1445 W Georgia St
What is the difference between merlot and cabernet?
What wines pair best with what foods?
How should I store my wine?
Returning from its SOLD OUT launch in 2008 and again in 2009, Wine 101 is a lively interactive tasting hosted by Sommelier,
Benjamin Howard, from the Beach House Restaurant. It is a “no experience necessary” event designed to enhance yourknowledge and enjoyment of wine. Taste a range of wines from Chardonnay to Zinfandel, from Merlot to Riesling (and many more), and have all your questions answered by knowledgeable professionals!
Tickets: $40 Includes the tasting, and all the questions you can ask.
To purchase tickets
Terminal City Club’s Sizzlin’ Sommelier
I first met Teresa Alampur, Terminal City Club’s sommelier, when we were both putting in a grueling day sorting grapes. In the middle of harvest season out in the Okanagan last fall, we found ourselves standing side-by-side at a sorting table, picking through 4 tons of pinot gris.
The day started at 8 a.m. and we all showed up cheerful enough. A few hours into it, after standing on hard cement, picking errant leaves and vine out of the grapes before they were to be pressed, in the cold snap that had descended suddenly on the Valley after the prolonged balmy summer days, and no one was saying too much to one another any more. No one could; even our faces were frozen.
Nine hours later and this trained and credentialed sommelier was still hanging tough, just like the rest of us. And the “rest of us” were mostly grown and griseled guys with steel-toed, insulated boots that buffer the hard ground and thick rubber gloves to protect our hands from the cold and sticky grapes.
A real trouper, that’s what the petite Alampur proved herself to be. She’s a sommelier, then, who has earned her stripes both indoors and out on the vineyard.
- Expert wine selections at Terminal City Club’s Cuvee.
At Vancouver’s prestigious and exclusive Terminal City Club, where she is Director of Restaurants as well as Club Sommelier, Teresa oversees the Cuvée Wine Bar which presents a modern cocktail menu and ever changing wine list, a list that is carefully curated by Alampur.
The Terminal City Club is described as “Vancouver’s most prominent private business club” and enjoyed a full renovation in 2008. It is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, a city which is consistently rated as number one in the world in terms of quality of life. It is a private club whose tower maintains five floors with 60 luxuriously appointed rooms and suites.
Check online for their weekly and monthly special tastings. The Menu from Cuvee below has likely already been freshened up with seasonal fare.
Cuvee Menu
Charcuterie Plate
A Selection of Dry Cured Meat, Aged Cheese, Club Marinated Olives
Braised Beef Short Rib Sliders
Pumpkin Butter, Brie Cheese
Rice Noodle Wrapped Tiger Prawns
Steamed Pork & Prawn Dim Sum
Light Soy, Chili Sauce
Crispy Fried Calamari
Chili Paste, Japanese Mayo
K.F.C
“Korean Fried Chicken”
Panko Crusted Chicken, Pickled Vegetables, Scallion Soy Glaze
Prawn & Oaxaca Cheese Quesadilla
Avocado Cream
Prosciutto, Bocconcini, Oven Dried Tomato Panini
Basil Mayo, White Truffle Butter
Vancouver Food And Wine 
Awesome!