Daenna Van Mulligen is a Vancouver based wine writer and sommelier. She is recognized via her alter-ego Wine Diva (WineDiva.ca) a one of a kind, tongue-in-cheek wine website geared toward her very serious passion for all things wine. WineDiva.ca will celebrate seven years in February 2011.
In February 2008 Daenna launched her second website WineScores.ca which also allows her to illustrate her more acute approach to wine by scoring reviewed wines out of 100 points and by publishing more in depth articles on wine, wine regions and producers.
Daenna is an international wine judge, she speaks regularly at consumer as well as trade and media wine events and is a member of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival planning committee.
Daenna has travelled extensively to wine regions around the world and shares her reviews and stories not only on her own websites but to the Canadian wine publication Vines Magazine of which she is a regular contributor. She has a weekly segment on Terry David Mulligan’s radio show The Tasting Room Radio heard via podcast and on BC radio stations and contributes to Taste Magazine as well as making regular appearances on City TV.

Barbara Philip MW was the first Western Canadian to achieve the Master of Wine designation and is the only female MW in the country. She is currently a Portfolio Manager for the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB), where she is responsible for the European wine selections in BC Liquor Stores.  With her husband Iain, Barb runs Barbariain Wine Consulting and works as a presenter, journalist and judge.  Barbariain has lectured and judged around the world, including Dallas, Mendoza, London and Vienna.  Barb has contributed to several publications including Decanter and Time Out Vancouver, and is the wine columnist on CBC Radio’s ‘On The Coast’.

Iain Philip AIWS is the Senior Wine Instructor at the Art Institute of Vancouver where he teaches all levels of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) programs. In the course of a year, he will teach over 200 students ranging from consumers to importers and retail buyers.  Iain has conducted WSET classes in several other markets including Calgary and San Diego, and regularly consults for companies wanting to incorporate the WSET curriculum into their staff training.  With his wife Barbara, and their company Barbariain Wine Consulting, Iain conducts tastings and classes for both private and corporate clients.

Mark Davidson Born in London, raised in Sydney Mark has been a Canadian resident since 1985.  He has over twenty five years experience in the hotel and restaurant business, fifteen of those as a Sommelier. In 1990 Mark was named Best French Wine and Spirit Sommelier in British Columbia and in 2001 he was name Sommelier of the Year by the British Columbia Restaurant and Food Service Association

As a Department Head and instructor with the International Sommelier Guild he is instrumental in the on going development of the curriculum and has taught classes in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas. Mark is currently the Market Development Manager for Wine Australia USA conducting education seminars for Sommeliers, retailers and distributors.  In addition he does a weekly radio wine review on CKNW and developed a wine education and restaurant etiquette course for SFU Global Asset and Wealth Management MBA program.

David Sanders considers himself to be very lucky. He can truly say that he loves his job – and his “work” is all about sharing his passion for great wine. The great thing about his work is that every day he gets the opportunity to share his passion for wine - wine properly aerated and poured into the correct glass with other passionate wine lovers.
David conducts “glass tastings” throughout Canada and has conducted tastings for thousands of people. At the glass-tastings, participants are amazed at the effect…“there is something quite remarkable when people discover the difference a wine glass makes to the taste of the wine…”In David’s own words…“It sounds counter intuitive, like a marketing campaign, but once you try it, you will never look at a wine glass the same way again. The wine is the message, the Glass is the messenger!”

Michelle Bouffard
Michelle co-owns house wine, a consulting company offering private and corporate wine seminars, wine education, restaurant consultation and cellar management. She 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. While serving in fine dining restaurants, she took an introductory wine course, which proved to be a revelation. In 2003, she completed her International Sommelier Diploma with top marks and worked as became the resident sommelier at Marquis Wine Cellars. Today Michelle is an instructor for the International Sommelier Guild. She has also completed of the internationally recognized Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s (WSET) Diploma Programme in 2007. Her first year was funded by a scholarship awarded by the Vancouver Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier.

Michelle plays an active role in the wine community, sitting on expert panels for Cornucopia, the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival and the Vancouver Magazine wine awards. She is also a regular guest on French CBC radio ‘Samedi Détente’. Michelle writes for EAT Magazine, Review and HomeSpa and has contributed to wine articles for Wine Access. Her wine travels have led her to the regions of Burgundy, Abruzzo, Piedmont, Tuscany, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Napa, Sonoma, Washington, Oregon and the Okanagan. Michelle speaks fluent French and English.

Michaela Morris – Michaela co-owns house wine, a consulting company offering private and corporate wine seminars, wine education, restaurant consultation and cellar management.
A modeling stint in Japan fuelled her desire to travel. She spent several years cycle touring and working her way around Europe. Michaela returned to Vancouver to earn a bachelor's degree in Linguistics and French from the University of British Columbia. A one year exchange program led her back to France where she discovered the wine region of Burgundy. It was here that she decided to pursue a career in the industry.

Michaela was awarded a scholarship by the Vancouver Chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier for the WSET's Diploma Programme which she successfully completed in 2005. She currently a guest lecturer for the WSET Diploma. After a five-year tenure at Marquis Wine Cellars, Michaela worked for four years as the Marketing/Logistics Manager for Liquid Art Fine Wines, a premium-only wine importing company.  A familiar face in the wine scene, Michaela has participated on tasting panels for Les Chevaliers des Vins de France, Cornucopia and the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. Michaela also writes for EAT Magazine, Review and HomeSpa and has contributed to wine articles for Wine Access She has traveled extensively throughout the wine regions of Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Rhône Valley, Abruzzo, Piedmont, Tuscany, Val d'Aosta, Napa, Argentina, New Zealand and the Okanagan. She is fluent in both English and French and continues learning Spanish and Italian.

Sid Cross - Recognized globally for his knowledge, tasting abilities, and connections within the many wine regions of the world, Sid Cross combines wide experience with a continuing passion for the culinary arts of wine and food.  He has travelled extensively, dining at the world’s top restaurants and visiting many wineries.  Sid has received the distinction of being promoted by the French Government from Chevalier to Officer status in the prestigious Ordre du Merite Agricole, and is currently the Wines Committee Chair for the International Wine & Food Society (www.iwfs.org), which is headquartered in London, England.
Closer to home, Sid is the only Canadian to be inducted as a Membre d'Honneur of the L'Academie du vin de Bordeaux (www.academie.vins-bordeaux.fr) and to be named The Gourmet of the Year by The Society of Bacchus America ("for outstanding knowledge of food and wines and for imparting this knowledge to others").  He writes for several publications and is a frequent wine judge, panelist and entertaining educator on wine and food.  He has participated in The Canadian Wine Awards, the Lieutenant-Governor’s Awards For Excellence, gismondionwine.com, Western Living, the Vancouver Magazine Wine Competition, the International Value Wine Awards, the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, Whistler's Cornucopia, the Steamboat Springs Colorado Wine Festival, Best of BC for the BCLDB, various Sommelier competitons, the Georgia Straight and the Vino Awards. 
First acting as a lawyer, and more recently as a member of the media, Sid has been a longstanding active member of the local wine and food industry.  He was instrumental in forming branches of many existing wine societies in Vancouver, including Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, the Australian Wine Appreciation Society, and La Commanderie de Bordeaux.  Co-founder and advisor to the active The Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia (www.chefstablesociety.ca), he is in demand as a culinary judge and has been involved with the Olympic Gold Medal Plates in Vancouver and the Canadian Culinary Championships.  He frequently mentors younger individuals in the wine and food community and is an instrumental force in many charitable fundraising events.  In 2009 Sid was inducted into the BC Restaurant Association Hall of Fame (www.bcrfa.com) as a Friend of the Industry.

Shayn Long - Shayn is recognized as one of the foremost wine professionals in the world, utilizing his innate talents, highly charged work ethic and unerring pursuit of excellence to become a humble leader in all facets of the industry - including public appearances, wine program development, wine and spirits teaching, beverage writing and, above all, the mentoring of industry professionals towards realizing their dreams.