National Capital Sommelier Guild
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Who We Are

The National Capital Sommelier Guild welcomes members of all levels, from students and wine lovers to Masters of Wine. Members share a common appreciation of fine wines and wine service and are especially keen to discover fine wines and spirits that offer great value for money.

Reflecting the broad perspective and interests of its members, the Guild offers a diverse program of wine related events monthly. These events focus on one or more aspects of theory, tasting and/or wine and food pairing.

Events include​
  • Regular advance tastings of LCBO Vintages releases 
  • Events matching wines with cheese, small plates, desserts, etc… 
  • Regional and varietal tastings designed to expand participant’s wine knowledge 
  • Special tastings of older, cellared wines acquired at auction or from personal collections 
  • Co-operative sponsorship of special events with other wine or trade organisations 
  • Awareness and promotion of events and tastings across the National Capital region 

​Although participation in some of the above events is restricted to Members most of the tastings and dinners are open to a limited number of sponsored guests. 
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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. ​
Wine glasses ready to serve
Governance 
Elected annually by the members, the Board of Directors is responsible for planning and carrying out the on-going operations of the Guild. A Council of Governors, made up of leaders in the community, provides advice and counsel on overall strategic direction. 

Board of Directors 
  • President: Bill Ellis 
  • Vice President: Marie-France Champagne 
  • Treasurer: Rod Story 
  • Secretary: Lisa Isabelle 
  • Directors: Don Cook, Ian Duncan, Greg Nyman, Sean O’Regan, Sylvain Segard, Matt Steeves 

Key volunteers 
  • Cynthia Mar 
    Registrar 
    events@sommelierguild.com 
  • Dave Isaacs 
    Webmaster 
    webmaster@sommelierguild.com
  • Dawn Harvie
     Communications

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 
  • Gay Cook 
    Owner, Mrs Cook’s Food 
    Food Writer, The Ottawa Citizen 
  • Tim Davis 
    Guild Past President 
  • Michael Fagan 
    Manager, Vintages LCBO Knowledge Resources Group 
  • Victor Harradine 
    Guild Past President 
    Publisher, winecurrent.com 
    former Director, Algonquin College Sommelier Program 
  • J. Phillip Nicholson 
    Guild Founding Member and Past President 
  • Karen Norris 
    District Manager, LCBO 
  • Veronique Rivest 
    Sommelier 
  • Halina Player 
    President, Players Exposition 
  • Daniel Speck 
    Vice President Sales, Henry of Pelham 
  • Rick Slomka 
    Canadian Directory, California Wine Institute 
  • Gord Weber 
    Wine Agent, Colio Estates 
Responsible Consumption
The National Capital Sommelier Guild Support’s the responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages. To that end we have included a link to Ottawa Public Health's Standard Drink calculator and  What's in Your Glass video.


Taste. Learn. Share.


  • Home
  • How to Join
  • Upcoming Events
  • Past Events
  • Contact
  • Who we are