Established in 1993, The National Capital Sommelier Guild is a non-profit member-run organisation committed to serving the needs and interests of the Ottawa region’s food, beverage and hospitality industries.
Our Mission
The Guild is dedicated to the appreciation of fine wines and spirits and to the advancement of professionalism in all aspects of the sales and service of such products. It pursues these goals by:
broadening and deepening the knowledge of fine wines and spirits of the world—including their creation, characteristics, availability, and harmony with varied cuisines.
promoting standards of excellence for Sommeliers and all other professionals in the food, beverage and hospitality industry.
fostering skills in all aspects of wine and spirit management—including purchasing, storage, marketing, sales and service.
The Guild values strong ties to its members and the broader community of those sharing its interests and purpose. Its extensive and up-to-date directory of wine related clubs, societies, writers, consultants, speakers, agents and other trade professionals is used to communicate regularly with this extended community.
As part of its communications program the Guild promotes its upcoming events and publishes reviews of its past events through its web presence and a monthly newsletter. This latter publication is distributed to all members and periodically to our extended community. Both the web and the newsletter are used to promote other events of interest to our extended community.
The Guild also maintains a web site where information about the Guild, its program, upcoming events, reports on past events and how to become a member is available and regularly updated.
Program
Reflecting the broad perspective and interests of its members, the Guild offers a diverse program of some 50 events annually. Each focuses on some aspect of theory, tasting and/or service. They include:
Tastings
regular advance tastings of Vintages releases
regional and varietal tastings designed to expand participant's wine knowledge
seminars and analytical tastings aimed at advancing the art of wine appreciation
co-operative sponsorship of special events with other wine or trade organisations
Wine and Food Matching Events
annual events celebrating the seasons such as the Fall Harvest Dinner, the Christmas Dinner, the Spring Dinner, the Mechoui and the Summer Barbecue.
periodic dinners, usually monthly, exploring the marriage of wine with diverse cuisines
periodic events matching wines with cheeses, smoked foods, desserts, etc…
Courses and Clinics
clinics for wine novices
clinics for developing more analytical tasting skills
clinics to review and test wine and food matching principles
(upon request) wine Sales and Service Course for Hotel and Restaurant Managers and Servers
Although participation in some of the above events is restricted to Members and in some cases to Trade Members only, most of the tastings and dinners are open to a limited number of guests.
The Guild also fosters professionalism and skill development by offering an annual scholarship and awarding prizes to residents of the national capital region pursuing studies in related areas.
Governance
Elected annually by the members, the Board of Directors is responsible for planning and carrying out the on-going operations of the Guild, while a Council of Governors made up of leaders in the community, provides advice and counsel on overall strategic direction.
Board of Directors
Jay Hunt President
Bill Ellis Directo-at-large and Guild Historian
Mark Kilpatrick WPOY Coordinator
Burt Riverso Treasurer
Robert White Membership Director
Ian Duncan
Maureen Murphy Event Coordinator
David Skinner
Nicole Vallee
Rod Story
Key Volunteers
Cynthia Mar Registrar
Dave Isaacs Webmaster
Dawn Harvie Newsletter Editor
Pierre Fournier Standards and Outreach
Governor Emeritus
Michael Botner Wine writer Owner Accounting for Taste B&B
Peter Ward Wine Consultant Wine Writer
Council of Governors
Luke Ambridge District Sales Manager Atlas Wine Merchants
Stephen Beckta Owner Beckta Dining and Wine
Peter Collis Guild Past Vice-President and Treasurer
To register for an event, click the Register for this Event button on the event's description page. This will take you to the EventBrite registration page.
The National Capital Sommelier Guild strongly supports moderate and responsible consumption of wine and spirits. Guild dinner events allow a designated driver to attend at a reduced price. The designated driver will not be served alcohol. Guild tasting events provide and encourage the use of spit buckets.
"I’m drinking wine, eating cheese, and catching some rays." — Donald Sutherland as Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes
