Meet Kayla Koroush With Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's a new week to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall!

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall, we introduce you to Kayla Koroush.

Once aiming to be a preschool teacher, Kayla works in the marketing department for a winery in Napa Valley, and she blogs for herself at Barrel Thief, a wine blog (a barrel thief is a glass tube that helps vacuum wine out of bottles so vintners can have a taste.) Her blog is a place where she can document her encounters while she explores the world of wine.

We met Kayla at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Buellton, in 2014, where she was a scholarship recipient to attend the conference, and we will see her at the annual Wine Bloggers Conference again in a couple of weeks when the conference takes place in Finger Lakes New York.

Watch our social media for a hello from Kayla when we meet her again in a few weeks, and in the meantime, please give her a hello, as we did when she recently visited Vancouver's Granville Island.

Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Meet Christine Campbell with Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall, we introduce you to Christine Campbell.

Christine is an avid traveler and lover of ‘all things wine’.

Based in Vancouver, Canada, Christine sits on the BC VQA assessment panel.

She holds her Wine & Spirits Education Trust Advanced Level 3 certificate. Driven by her passion, she also completed her French Wine Scholar course and is continuing with the Master of Champagne course through the French Wine Society.

When not studying wine, Christine writes weekly on her wine blog Girls Go Grape and is a contributor for the Alcohol Professor and Wine Tourist Magazine.

Christine is a friendly and spirited person with a zest for life. She is the mom to a gorgeous daughter and also loves dogs.

Seen here cheekily enjoying a cocktail (because she does realize there is more to enjoy than just wine) Christine would love a hello from you.

Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

It's OK to have opinions - and 4 other things I have learned in business

By Leeann Froese

5 Things I have learned on our 2nd Anniversary

I am not sure how that happened so fast, but our little agency is two years old this month.

Andrew and I want to thank our amazing team and our clients for allowing us to us create brands and get the word out on things that celebrate living well: wine, food, hospitality, financial planning, film, and sport.

I have been learning new lessons everyday, and wanted to share a few things that rank at the top of my mind as we celebrate the start of year three #withTownHall.

I'd love to know, if you own a business, what are you learning? Maybe we can learn from each other? Listed as a countdown, but not in strict order:

5. It's OK to have opinions - even if they are unpopular

For much of my career I only cared about being a people pleaser. I still possess this trait, and our team also shares this trait, but not at the expense of giving bad advice or being untruthful.

My mentor, Christine Coletta, instilled in me the saying 'we're not here for a haircut', meaning that people don't look to my expertise so I can blow smoke, or not make things happen. As such, people can count on our team for good content and to get things done.

I have also realized since opening Town Hall that after almost 20 years in the industry I have knowledge to share and I should provide not only expertise, but also the truth and my own opinions, especially if they defend clients, and even if these opinions or truths are unpopular or are not what people had hoped to hear.

So now, I give my complete opinion when asked, or call out situations when I need to. An example of this is my recent post about those who ask for wine donations. Sorry, everyone who wants free wine.

4. The right team is everything

There is no way that Andrew and I could deliver strong programming to our clients without the contributions of a strong design and communication team. I'm so proud of the work that our team does to create identities and raise profiles.

It has taken the full two years, with some personalities coming and going (and this may continue as the business evolves) but when the fit is right, as it currently is, the culture and work output can be magic.

Thank you Sujinder, Felicia, Amy, Laurisha, Ali, Lindsey, Kathleen, Lindsey, our newest member, Carole, and our consultants Alana and Irene, for being so key in the team's success. We would be nowhere without you all!

3. A home office can only hold so much

We are seeking a new space, and ideally, by our 3rd birthday we will be in a different office. We are working with a realtor but the Vancouver market is hot. Wish us luck!

2. We need to tell people what else we do

Many people don't realize we are a full service agency and think that we only offer publicity services, or that I am singularly a PR person.

So can you please help it be known: we offer packaging, media relations, social media outreach, logo and graphic design, advertising campaigns, events and marketing strategy.

Also, we are not the popular Joseph Richards Group owned Townhall Public House.

We named our company “Town Hall” based on collaboration, which we feel is so important, especially in this era of crowd-sourced information and real-time customer feedback.

It is our constant goal to be a lifestyle destination, and deliver projects that inspire and celebrate the good life.

1. We are just getting started

In the scheme of a growing business we are really just getting started. The learning curve for sure is super steep.

I was looking after a lot of the agency work at Coletta and Associates before we closed the doors there, but there's nothing quite like being the one who's the air traffic controller and holding the bag and making sure that everybody's rent gets paid.

We are super thankful to our clients who believe in what we're doing at our little agency. We truly love you!

Life is too short to work with people you don't like and products you don't fall in love with.

We thank everybody for coming along for our ride #withTownHall

We are very social with what we do - so converse with us on your favourite social network @townhallbrands.

Keep up with what we do and talk to us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

We look forward to what the next year brings!

This week #withTownHall meet a swearing Minion

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them.

However, this week #withTownHall, for something a little different, we introduce you to a swearing Minion.

For the uninitiated, Minions are the lovable yellow stars of the Universal Studio films Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 who feature the character Felonious Gru, a super villain. His evil deeds are undertaken by his team of Minions.

The Minions are small, yellow pill-like creatures that speak a made-up language called Minionese. They are super cute, and funny in their efforts to implement evil plans and household tasks for Gru.

Now, the Minions star in their own hotly-anticipated prequel film featuring Minions as the main characters, and focuses on the Minions before they met Gru. The film opens this weekend across North America, and there is a marketing and licensing frenzy to accompany the release.

Everywhere you look there is merch featuring the Minions, and at McDonald's there is a Minions Happy Meal, where a free Minions toy is available with purchase of any Happy Meal while supplies last.

This all seems straightforward, as McDonald's does similar meals and toy giveaways with other motion picture partnerships, but this giveaway created a media hailstorm.

Several parents are outraged, complained that the Minionese that the little characters speak sounds like swear words, including "what the f&$k" and "well I'll be damned".

This report on CBC news explains the whole situation, and states that our brains try to make sense of sounds and that is why some of us might think we are hearing nonsense as curse words.

This parent video (you need to turn up the sound) demonstrates what some people are saying they hear. Is this cute little cave Minion saying "what the f___" ?

What do you think - is this Minion swearing?

McDonald's says there are no plans to take the toys out of distribution.

Weigh in with your opinion here with a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Meet Chris Pritchett With Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall, we introduce you to Chris Pritchett.

As someone who was born in America we thought it would be fitting to introduce you to Chris on the Fourth of July.

Also we chose to introduce you to him this week because just this week he has just been named the new head coach for the UBC Thunderbirds Baseball team.

Most recently Chris was a scout for the Boston Red Sox, and in years before that his career has been built through the major-league baseball system, and that includes ties to our own Vancouver Canadians.

Before he became a scout for the Red Sox he was a hitting coach for the Vancouver Canadians, and his connection to Vancouver and the C's goes back even further than that.

In 1991 Chris was drafted to the California Angels and four years later he played as first baseman for what was then a AAA Vancouver Canadians team. After more than 450 games with the C's, he played in the California Angels organization until 2003 when he retired and returned to university.

After topping up his education with a couple of degrees, for the past four years he has traveled across Canada to help the Red Sox discover tomorrow's next players. Now, he returns to Vancouver where he lives with his wife Saffron Henderson and their two sons, and they are very glad to have him in Vancouver to return home every night.

Chris takes over as head coach of the Thunderbirds from Terry McKaig, who after 18 seasons, moves into the role of UBC's director of baseball. Congratulations to Terry!

Now please help us congratulate UBC on their change, and Chris on coming back home to Vancouver by saying hello here.

Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Meet Brian Webb With Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall, we introduce you to Brian Webb.

As we congratulate the United States, who took another step closer to marriage equality this past week with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, we thought it was timely to introduce you to Brian.

Why? Brian is a role model and sets a positive image for young gay men. Though social media, Brian is able to increase the awareness of the rights and values of the LGBT community to all people worldwide on topics including safer-sex, anti-bullying, and human-rights.

Originally from the Okanagan Valley (in fact, we share a home town), and now based in Vancouver, Brian is a marketing manager for a software company and loves to travel all across North America to uncover new destinations, people, and experiences. He has a knack for finding the inside stories that resonate with the LGBT community and those that love seeing the latest trends. He shares all of this on his popular website Homoculture.ca

Brian is into healthy living. His passion for marathon running, working out at the gym, and eating right inspires others to achieve their personal best. Something I love and take inspiration from. #gogetit Brian!

Will you join us in celebrating equality and say hello to Brian?

Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Vancouver Canadians Run for a Cause This Season

We are back - with our fifth annual $5-run initiative  Suggested Tweet:

Back again in #YVR! For every run @VanCanadians game, @TownHallBrands pledges $5 to C's Foundation. Cheer on the C's #withTownHall.

The News:

[Vancouver, British Columbia] The start of baseball season with the Vancouver Canadians not only marks a great traditional Vancouver experience at the Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium, but also a tradition of annual giving-back to the Vancouver Canadians Baseball Foundation (VCBF) for Town Hall Brands, a Vancouver-based marketing agency.

Returning for its fifth consecutive year, Leeann Froese and Andrew von Rosen, co-owners of Town Hall Brands, are back again with the $5-run initiative (watch the video!) in which Town Hall donates $5 to the Foundation for every run scored by the Vancouver Canadians this season. To date, nearly $10, 000 have been raised and 50 children have received support to play baseball through the Vancouver Canadians Baseball Foundation and Town Hall Brands since, the beginning of the initiative in 2011.

"We've worked with Vancouver Canadians for more than a decade. As soon as the Foundation launched, we knew it would be important for us to be a part of it," shares von Rosen.

As longtime baseball fans and supporters of the Foundation, von Rosen and Froese started the $5-run initiative to support the VCBF's work in providing local children in need with the opportunity to play baseball through a summer mini league. For many children, this translates into an experience of discovery, teamwork and most importantly, lifetime friendships to enhance their daily lives.

"We're parents, too. We want to lead other children in a healthy and active lifestyle, as much as we want for our child. Being able to put a child on a diamond with a smile on their face is an incredibly valuable experience for both the child and us. Not to mention, it helps to build community," says Froese.

Whether you're a sports fan or not, the Town Hall Team invites you to join in cheering on the C's to score more runs and add even more to the $5-initiative to support our community.

For game schedule for Vancouver Canadians, please visit: www.canadiansbaseball.com

Meet Mijune Pak With Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall, we introduce you to Mijune Pak.

Mijune is also known as Follow Me Foodie, after her blog of the same name, that she launched in 2009.

She is also a weekly food columnist for the WE Vancouver newspaper with her own column called “Follow Me Foodie”.

In addition to this she is sought after as a speaker, honorary culinary judge, and contributor to numerous other media outlets.

She can cook and she is honest and offers full disclosure to her posts. After establishing her reputation in Vancouver, Mijune has gained recognition on a global scale.

We are proud to know her here at home in Vancouver, and in particular I am fond of Mijune as we share a birth date - June 6.

So please say hello to my Gemini sister, the lovely Ms. Pak.

Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Meet Tori Klassen with Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall, we introduce you to Tori Klassen.

Tori is a communications professional who runs her own consultancy. She blogs and Tweets and is a generally social person, who has been slowed down somewhat recently following major knee surgery. She is on the road to recovery and when her knees work, she is a triathlete.

Please help us and say a big hello. Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Meet Jim Irving With Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall, we introduce you to Jim Irving.

Jim Irving is the BC Hospitality Foundation's Director of Fundraising and Sponsorship.

Jim has just started in this newly-formed position with nearly 30 successful years of experience in the Canadian alcohol beverage industry. He has been a sales and marketing manager for wine and spirit agencies and breweries as well as the Canadian president of a luxury vodka brand. Most recently, Jim was the general manager for Precept Wine, the largest privately owned wine company in the Pacific Northwest.

Please help us congratulate Jim on his new role and say a big hello. Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Meet Blue Grouse Estate Winery With Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall for something a little different, we introduce you to Blue Grouse Estate Winery.

We do this because today is their grand reopening!

Family-owned, sustainably-farmed and award-winning, Blue Grouse Estate Winery is located at 2182 Lakeside Road, Duncan, BC within the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island.

The new winery and surrounding vineyards are a sought after destination not only for sampling the winery's award-winning portfolio of Island wines, but also for picnics and family adventures.

The inspired new winery facility was built with many sustainable elements including locally-sourced construction materials, the use of geothermal energy, onsite water collection and treatment, as well as other features that reduce mechanical heating and cooling.

The new Blue Grouse tasting room is open daily from 11AM to 5PM from June to October. Call 250-743-3834 or email tastingroom@bluegrouse.ca for winter hours, group bookings or just to say hello.

Please help us congratulate the team on their new winery opening and say a big hello. Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Meet Sam Hauck With Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall we introduce you to Sam Hauck.

Sam is a wine judge, wine educator, and wine writer. You can catch up with his wine reviews on My Vancity.

Whether you already know Sam or not, please help us out and say a big hello. Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Meet Darnelle Moore With Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall we introduce you to Darnelle Moore!

Darnelle is co founder of the popular Vancouver fitness studio Eastside Fitness.

She has been involved in the fitness industry for more than 12 years as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, coach, run leader, indoor cycling instructor and program coordinator. She has been active and passionate about fitness her entire life and has experience participating in many sports.

I like to call her 'small but mighty". She has experience as an elite athlete, competing in road cycling as part of Canada’s National Team. She enjoys trail running, weight training and hiking and she is also proud mom to three active kids.

In addition to keeping herself and those around her fit, she is a little league baseball coach at the South Vancouver Little League and she writes very helpful a biweekly fitness column in the Vancouver Courier.

Whether you already know Darnelle or not, please help us out and say a big hello. Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Meet Julie van Rosendaal with Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them. This week #withTownHall we introduce you to Julie Van Rosendaal!

The lovely Julie van Rosendaal hails from Calgary, Alberta and is known by many for her popular food blog Dinner With Julie. I first met Julie in 2009 when I was working with a wine client to host in Calgary, and Julie attended.

Julie is a superstar who wears several foodie hats. She is the food and nutrition columnist on the Calgary Eyeopener on CBC Radio One, the author (or co-author) of several cookbooks, is the food editor of Parents Canada magazine, and a freelance writer for various publications, and she is also a contributor to the online cooking series, Good Bite.

Julie is regularly seen on local and national TV, and she co-hosted a TV cooking show called It’s Just Food on Viva Network.

She does it all from her home in Calgary which she shares with her husband, son and dog.

Whether you already know Julie or not, please help us out and say a big hello. Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Meet Glen Korstrom With Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them.

This week #withTownHall we introduce you to Glen Korstrom

Glen is well known in Vancouver for his work as a journalist at Business in Vancouver who mainly covers the subjects of retail, tourism/hospitality & real estate.

Outside the office, he is a big fan of music, sports and wine.

Whether you already know Glen or not, please help us and say a big hello.

Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Meet the Drunken Cyclist Jeff Kralik with Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them.

This week #withTownHall we introduce you to Jeff Kralik.

Jeff is The Drunken Cyclist. He is a wine lover and a wine blogger, who can saber open a bottle of bubble with almost anything. He is known to be a bit of a ham at times...

Jeff is also a Cat 3 cyclist, a husband, and a father of two boys and he lives with his lovely family in Philadelphia. We know Jeff via the Wine Bloggers Conference and want you to know him too - he has more than 45K followers on Twitter!

And whether you already follow or know Jeff or not, please help us support him and say a big hello.

Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter

So A Genie From the Finger Lakes Grants You Three Wishes…

by Sujinder Juneja Following two successful conferences in Santa Barbara, California and Penticton, British Columbia, in August 2015, I will be participating in my third-in-a-row Wine Bloggers Conference #withTownHall; this year in Corning, New York and hosted by the wineries of the Finger Lakes AVA.

Although the region has been growing grapes (a mixture of native Vitis Labrusca, European Vitis Vinifera and French-American hybrids) since 1829, it’s still a small and arguably emergent region, with production levels such that few of their wines make it all the way to the left coast. I am very excited to finally get a chance to gain a better understanding of what makes these cool-climate wines, and the Finger Lakes region itself, so unique.

So when I was asked to pick the ‘top three’ things that I really wanted to learn while I was visiting (and tasting), here’s what I came up with:

I Love to Get My Hands Dirty

When people use the word ‘terroir’ to discuss the specific traits of different wine regions in the world, it’s important to note that the concept doesn't just refer to the soil. ‘Terroir’ translates loosely as a “sense of place” and refers not only to the complex geology within the soil itself, but also the geography (aspect, slope), the climate, the weather and even the surrounding flora and fauna that may have an effect on the agricultural crop in question.

Coming from British Columbia, which is also described as a cool climate wine region, one of the first things I want to learn about the Finger Lakes AVA is what makes its terroir so special for the wine that it produces. Both regions share a similar history of commercial wine development, each of them dating back to the mid 1800s when grapes were first planted by the clergy for use in sacramental rituals. Each region experimented with native vines and hybrids before moving towards increased plantings of the European Vitis Vinifera varieties, to varying degrees of success. I want to learn more about the geology and geography that adds to the bright and minerally flavours of the Finger Lakes wines.

The Right Grape for the Right Place

The fact that both British Columbia and the Finger Lakes have shared a similar path in terms of varietal experimentation forces me to think about the reasons some grapes are planted more than others. Some are chosen for their ability to ripen properly in a given climate, while others are chosen because they are more fashionable or commercially viable, even if the resultant wine suffers in quality. The more winemakers, grape growers and soil specialists I speak to, the more I realize that it doesn't make sense to plant consumer-friendly, but slow-ripening varietals, like Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, in regions that simply don’t get the heat units to enable them to fully mature to produce balanced wines. It makes more sense to plant grapes and produce wine that matches the ‘terroir’ of the vineyard.

It’s been noted that the wines of the Finger Lakes region are fresh, with naturally high acid and low alcohol – you’ll have to look elsewhere for wines with rich intensity and depth of fruit. French vignerons are way ahead of the game, having studied their own terroir for centuries. That’s why you don’t see Cabernet Sauvignon in Burgundy and you don’t see Pinot Noir in Bordeaux. The grapes suit the land and produce the best possible wines. So although Riesling and Pinot Noir (both very fashionable varietals) have become the dominant plantings in the region, the second thing I want to experience about the Finger Lakes AVA is these less-recognized varietals which have been developed specifically for the region. When is the last time you sipped a Cayuga White or a Valvin Muscat? It’s my aim to try as many of these unique varietals as I can, hoping to find some new favourites in the process.

A European Invasion

The third thing I really want to know about the Finger Lakes AVA is: what is it that is so exciting about the region that makes it attract some of the highest profile international winemakers to start their own projects there?

The first I heard about was Louis Barruol, owner and winemaker at Chateau de Saint Cosme in Gigondas (and one of my favourite all-time wineries), who is one of the most acclaimed and respected winemakers in the entire Rhone Valley, if not the world.

He recently partnered with local Finger Lakes investors to create Forge Cellars, a winery in the Seneca Lake AVA that focuses exclusively on Riesling and Pinot Noir. With more than 500 years of family experience making wines from Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre and Viognier in hot Southern France, what made him invest in Riesling and Pinot Noir in cooler upstate New York?

More recently, a joint venture was announced between leading California winemaker and consultant Paul Hobbs and the Mosel Valley’s Johannes Selbach that saw them purchase a 67-acre site on the southeastern shore of Seneca Lake that will ultimately be planted with 45 acres of Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Blanc.

What is it about the Finger Lakes that drew these two titans of the wine industry together? It’s a big question, but I aim to find the answer.

August can’t come soon enough. Very much looking forward to exploring the Finger Lakes wine region from August 13-16 at this year’s Wine Bloggers Conference.

Meet Cristina Brunner With Town Hall

By Leeann Froese It's Saturday - that means it's time to introduce you to one of the fabulous personalities in the world #withTownHall

This does not mean they work as part of our team, or are our client (although sometimes they are).

We just interact with so many amazing people that we want to expand networks and introduce them to you, and you to them.

This week #withTownHall we introduce you to Cristina Brunner.

Cristina is an artist who hails from Peru, and she, along with her husband Paul, owns Blue Grouse Estate Winery, located in the beautiful Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Cristina is looking forward to the brand new Blue Grouse winery to be open May 23, and invited you to come and visit her there this summer.

And whether you already know Cristina or not, please help us support her and say a big hello.

Leave a comment below – or go give this post a like or share on Facebook or Twitter

Finger Lakes Offer Diversity of the Grape

by Sujinder Juneja For #Winesday we look to our wine growing neighbours to the east...

Since grape vineyards were first established in the Finger Lakes region of New York State in the mid 1800s, winemakers and grape growers have never lost their thirst for adventure and experimentation. They work with lesser known and cold hardy varietals and we are looking forward to celebrating the region’s diversity at the Wine Bloggers Conference pre-excursion in August.

The Finger Lakes AVA, officially recognized in 1982, is a cool climate growing region in upstate New York, south of Lake Ontario, and surrounds eleven glacier lakes. These lakes moderate the local microclimate, keeping the it milder in the winter, relative to the rest of the region. Similarly to other cool climate regions such as Germany and Austria, the vines are often planted on steep hillsides near the lakes, offering better drainage, increased sun exposure, with less chance of frost.

Vitis Labrusca vines were first planted in the region in 1829, but it wasn’t until 1862 that commercial viticulture began. For years, the most successful and popular wines from the area were sparkling and sweet, but demand for dry still wines produced from Vitis Vinifera grapes increased after soldiers returned from Europe following World War 2, their tastes influenced by wines from France, Italy and Germany. Unfortunately, the majority of plantings in the region were either from Labrusca or French-American hybrid stock, since previous experiments with Vinifera had failed to yield successful wines.

But in 1951, Dr. Konstantin Frank, a Ukrainian immigrant with a PhD in viticulture, arrived at the Cornell University Geneva Experiment station where he began grafting the more climate-sensitive Vinifera varietals to native cold-hardy Labrusca rootstock, eventually resulting in commercially and critically successful wines from Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, among other noble varieties.

In 1986 the Seneca Lake Wine Trail was formed in the heart of New York State’s Finger Lakes Wine Country to attract more visitors to experience its rich history, beauty and production of world-class wines. Today, Seneca Lake Wine Trail is the largest and most active wine trail in New York State with a community of 35 wineries

Even though Riesling and Pinot Noir has become the dominant white and red varietals in the region, Seneca Lake wineries such Villa Bellangelo, Ventosa Vineyards, Anthony Road Wine Company and Fox Run Vineyards, among others continue to push the envelope with interesting and delicious left-of-centre varietals. These include lesser-known Vinifera (Blaufränkisch, Tocai Friulano, Grüner Veltliner), French-American hybrids (Seyval Blanc, Baco Noir, Vignoles, Rougeon), native Labrusca (Catawba, Isabella), hybrids developed in the region (Cayuga White, Melody) and three new wine grapes created at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in Geneva (Noiret, Corot Noir and Valvin Muscat. While some of these grapes are used in varietally-named wines, most of them are used in blends or sparkling wine.

When we visit the region we look forward to tasting this diversity.

Looking ahead to the Wine Blogger's Conference

By Leeann Froese We are looking forward to sending two members of our team (myself and Sujinder Juneja) to the Wine Bloggers Conference in Finger Lakes, New York this August. This will be my 4th consecutive conference, and Sujinder's third.

Being named Wine Enthusiast's wine region of the year in 2014 made me very curious about what this region has to offer, because as world wine regions go the Finger Lakes Region is still relatively unknown.

This is not meant as a slight towards the region because I feel like our own home wine region here in British Columbia is also off the radar, and this is something we have in common. That same Wine Enthusiast article also named Canada / British Columbia / Okanagan as one of the gems to discover in the world. What will New York have to offer? In my minds eye it's not as hot as it is here in the west, and I have never traveled into this particular area south of Ontario so it will be new territory for me

Adam Strum, publisher and editor of Wine Enthusiast, writes "The New York wine industry has made a remarkable comeback in the past 30 years in terms of the quality of wines, number of wineries, and economic impact."

The Finger Lakes Wine Country boasts over 100 wineries centered around the region’s four main lakes: Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka and Canandaigua.

British Columbia has more than 200 wineries, but like Finger Lakes, the Okanagan wine region is centered around Okanagan, Skaha, Vaseaux, Tuc el Nuit, and Osoyoos Lakes.

In both cases, these bodies of water offer a moderating effect to the landscape and allows for premium grape growing. Is this where the similarities end?

I am sure that both regions offer people who love what they do, and I look forward to learning what kind of tourism infrastructure and hospitality the Finger Lakes region offers. What other compare and contrast points will we find? I am feeling confident the wines will not be the same!

More on the Wine Bloggers Conference and the Finger Lakes region to come!