The deVine Family

e-mail: ed@devinewines.ca

Ed considers himself one of the "lucky ones" who has a career that he is passionate about. It all started in 1980 when he got a part-time job working for the ALCB while attending university. At the beginning, his interest in wine was strictly academic. "I was driven to learn about wine so I could help customers on the sales floor. It was as simple as that." Ed immersed himself in the subject for a whole year before he tasted his first wine - Blue Nun Liebfraumilch. "I didn't know what all the fuss was about until I tried the 1978 Bouchard Aine Beaujolais-Villages. The aroma was beautiful and I was hooked."

Ed continued working part-time for the ALCB until graduating with a B.Ed. A full-time opportunity came up to co-ordinate VIVA, Edmonton 's first international food and beverage exposition. After two years, Ed moved to the ALCB flagship specialty store on 106 Street. Many of deVine's customers fondly remember the tasting room at that location. "I was there too. If you don't recognise me now, it was because I had hair then!"

When the ALCB privatized in 1993, Ed left the industry for a few years to start his own sports memorabilia import/export business. "The experience I gained during that period helped me to reach my ultimate goal: opening up a fine wine store." Ed managed Sunterra Cellar for two years and cristall's wine market for five before opening deVine. "It seems that everything I have done in my work life prepared me for this experience. This includes the customers and people I met along the way, some of whom have become my partners in this venture. I feel very lucky and privileged to be where I am today."

Ed's other passion is cooking. "Nothing beats a great meal, served with fine wine, and shared with good friends. I wish I had more time to pursue this hobby. My partners Dirk and Annabelle are great cooks. The kitchen brings us even closer together as a team."

When not at work, Ed enjoys golf (or a facsimile of the game), snooker, and Edmonton's bike trails. He is looking forward to traveling more in the future. "Perhaps I'll get to visit a few wine regions along the way!"

Favourite grape varieties if he had to pick: Riesling for white and Syrah for red. Favourite wine region to explore if he could only choose one: Bordeaux. Favourite food: lamb shanks, osso bucco, and ox tails. All-time favourite wine experiences: 1961 Chateau l'Arrosee, 1977 Fonseca Vintage Port.

e-mail: annabelle@devinewines.ca

Annabelle was the manager at Sunterra Cellar in Commerce Place for three years. Her wealth of experience and cheery disposition is well-known to wine afficionados throughout the city. Her passion for wine matches her passion for food, and she can be counted on for giving excellent food/wine pairing advice - dare to ask her for an exotic pairing.

Annabelle is a GREAT cook, and many of us have sampled her Portuguese influences at home and at several of the in-store tastings. Annabelle likes Old World wines, and she especially loves Port (the ones that come from Portugal!) - you will see her leading many of deVine's port tastings.

All-time favourite wines: 1977 Fonseca, 1985 Bollinger RD, 2001 Chryseia, 2001 Closa Batlett, and the 1989 Chateau Haut-Brion.

e-mail: chad@devinewines.ca

Please meet Chad Gascho, one of the managing partners at deVine Wines & Spirits. Chad has several years' experience working in the wine industry. He has a more-than-moderate knowledge about wine in general, but he really knows great beers; he is responsible for the selection of over 100 microbrews and imports in deVine's cooler.

Chad's face is one that you will see almost every time you enter the store, as he is largely responsible for the day-to-day operations of the shop. From shipping and receiving, to setting up and running tastings, to the ambiance and decor of the store, Chad is devoted to making deVine a unique and pleasurable place to shop. He is friendly and always happy to help out (like everybody else you see at deVine!) so come on down and hang with Chad and discover what deVine is all about.

e-mail: dirk@devinewines.ca

Dirk comes to deVine strictly from a consumer background, having never worked in the wine business before. Dirk loves to talk wine (especially about the high-end stuff), and he enjoys the interplay of differing opinions and mutual admiration over a great bottle.

Firmly planted in the Old World, Bordeaux and Vintage Port are his first loves (although Burgundy, Italy, and Spain are not far behind). Sometimes, occasionally, a bottle from the New World will bring a "Wow" out of him.

Dirk treasures the times when he participates in wine dinners with his family and his wine-tasting friends. "Wine is for sharing, it provides a vehicle to spend time with those you love; I would never open a great bottle of wine by myself."

e-mail: blair@devinewines.ca

Blair has been devouring all that he can about wine for the last couple of years. He enjoys new world Petite Sirah, reds from the Rhone valley, and many other offerings from Spain, Portugal, and Italy. He is very interested in design and architecture, film, music, art, sociology, and all things convivial. Some of his favourite wine and art pairings include the EOS Cupa Grandis with the Velvet Underground and the Highfield Sauvignon Blanc with Antonioni's "The Blow-Up" - feasts for all the senses.

e-mail: jimmy@devinewines.ca

Jimmy is studying for his Bachelor of Arts at the Grant MacEwan/University of Alberta transfer programme. His academic major is in philosophy. Jimmy is an avid collector of vintage records (lp's). He wishes to continue his education in law after his degree is completed.

e-mail: nick@devinewines.ca

Nick brings with him 15 years of experience in the food and wine industry, most recently as sommelier to a luxury hotel on Vancouver Island. He has an MA in literature and writing from Concordia University and has published his fiction in literary journals throughout the country. An inveterate traveler with an interest in anything fermented, our newest deVine child intends to marry his twin passions for writing and wine by documenting the wines of Vancouver Island and the cast of characters dedicated, and eccentric enough, to make them.

Fond of trading recipes and telling tall tales, Nick credits the civilizing influence of wine with saving him from a life of piety.

e-mail: rick@devinewines.ca

e-mail: bill@devinewines.ca

Meet Bill. After working in the retail wine business for over nine years, Bill has arrived at Edmonton's premium wine boutique: deVine Wines. Previous to being employed in the retail wine trade, Bill had a career for overa quarter of a century in the field of publishing. These twenty-five years required a lot of travelling through out North America. He saw a lot of cities and many wine shops. Wine is Bill's passion so he enjoys trying new wines and visiting wineries in Canada, the USA, and Europe. He believes the love of wine along with its many discoveries is a life time journey. Bill has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Economics and is a certified Mixologist. Besides wine, he enjoys classical music, photography, and hiking with his dog.

e-mail: mark@devinewines.ca