The Sipster's Wine Podcast
Hello Sipsters! Welcome to the newest podcast about a new way to experience wine. There will be no simplified point scores or effusive tasting notes – only experiences with wine. Based on the popular book "The Sipster’s Pocket Guide to 50 Must-Try BC Wines", this podcast will feature conversations with people who experience wines in their own way – wine lovers, winemakers, winery owners, influencers, and wine collectors. Pop the cork on your podcast app and enjoy the wine experience! Hosted by author and wine industry sales and marketing professional and wine educator Luke Whittall.
Episodes
71 episodes
Living the Local Life
What does it really mean to buy local? Has that changed for us Canadians with all of the political things happening in the US? Is it a stretch to call a Mexican wine local? Jess and I delve into this topic over two 'local' wines tha...
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Season 3
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Episode 71
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35:43
Gearing up for 2025 - Jess Studies BC Wine History
In her never-ending quest to provide amazing experiences for her tour guests, Farm to Glass Wine Tour owner Jessie Hopwood re-reads Valleys of Wine, the only comprehensive history of BC's wine industry. In this special podcasts, she interviews ...
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Season 3
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Episode 70
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56:12
Down with punt, up with dimple
Ever wondered about wine competitions? Where do wines get their gold and silver awards? What do they mean?? Jess and I tackle this controversial topic. But wait, there's more! The wine word of the day - or is it week - is Punt. Do y...
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Season 3
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Episode 69
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25:21
Videos and Verticals
We're back! Jess joins me from her flex space (aka the Podcast Closet) for this quick chat about the possibility of adding video to the Sipster's Podcast. What do you think? Is it worth it? Are we really that awesome looking? Send us an email o...
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Season 3
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Episode 68
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26:16
Forking Hangry with Chef Jill
This episode is a chat with Jillian Hillier, better known online as @faretheewellbychefjill. Chef Jill has a lot to say about eating healthy and all of those dietary restrictions t...
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Season 3
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Episode 67
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44:23
Visiting Jennifer Carleton in Ontario
This week’s podcast is a revisit with Jennifer Carleton. We recorded her previous podcast last spring over a video call when we were both in the Okanagan Valley. She invited me to visit her amazing wine room at her home in Peterborough, Ontario...
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Season 3
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Episode 66
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49:56
Glengarry County's Stonehouse Vineyard
I get to speak with Joanne Pratt and Craig MacMillan, the owners of Stonehouse Vineyard in Lochiel, Ontario. Unless you’ve read either of my two Sipsters Pocket Guides to 50 Must-Try Ontario Wine...
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Season 3
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Episode 65
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1:05:25
Savon Du Bois
This week’s guest is Anne Du Bois who own Savon Du Bois in Picton, Prince Edward County, Ontario. I’ve always wanted to do an episode like this because it is not directly about wine but rather, about aromas almost exclusively. Anne Du Bois is a...
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Season 3
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Episode 64
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41:00
American Grapes in BC Bottles
This is going to be controversial. After a bad couple of winters, some BC wineries have imported grapes outside of BC to make wine. Some BC wineries have refused to do that. Will they be labelled the same? Are they going to cost less? In this p...
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Season 3
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Episode 63
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41:28
Jess is a Nova Scotia Princess
It's more about Nova Scotia this week! Jess and I taste through a couple more wines from her trip, including wines from L'Acadie and Luckett vineyard...
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Season 3
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Episode 62
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55:48
Greenhouse Wines in Quebec
Can grapes be grown in a greenhouse? Apparently yes. I get to taste a couple wines in this episode with Marc Desaulnier and Annabelle Harper, winemaker and assistant winemaker respectively at Vins Zyromski in Rivière-Rouge, Quebec.
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Season 3
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Episode 61
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50:47
Nova Scotia Wines, Muskoka Chairs, and the most exciting wines of 2024
Jess is back! In this episode, we talk about the value of wines in Nova Scotia, why disagreeing makes for a better podcast, and if there really is a difference between Adirondak and Muskoka chairs. We also recap our summer and some of the most ...
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Season 3
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Episode 60
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44:14
The Innovator - Sandra Oldfield
Whatever innovations have happened in the BC wine industry in the past 30 years, Sandra Oldfield has been a part of it. The first wine club in British Columbia - The Crush Club at Tinhorn Creek - happened on her watch. In a world of industry fo...
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Season 3
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Episode 59
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58:25
Tribute to Tim Watts from Kettle Valley Winery
Tim Watts, co-owner of Kettle Valley Winery in Naramata, was an early mentor in my wine career. I worked at several wineries in production and I worked at Kettle Valley in 2008. Tim and Bob Ferguson were hands-on owners, working at every aspect...
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Season 2
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Episode 58
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20:01
Angelic Wines with Shay Code
This is one of those super-sized podcasts with a lot of info in a great conversation with Shay Code, owner and winemaker at his winery Code Wines in Okanagan Falls, BC. Perched at the base of Peach Cliff abov...
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Season 2
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Episode 57
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1:11:24
Do People in Ontario Really Like BC Wine? Jenn Carleton knows...
Jennifer Carleton joins me on the podcast this week. She has a unique perspective on Canadian wine because she travels regularly between Ontario and BC and hears all about what each provinces says about the other's wines. Jenn is extremely well...
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Season 2
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Episode 56
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51:06
AMA The Questions Episode
In a bid to learn more about each other, Jess and I get into the serious questions about wine and life. Now, you can have your chance! Ask us anything! You must have questions about wine in Canada and now you can ask us! Or tell us abou...
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Season 2
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Episode 55
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53:27
Blind Tasting with Tonia McArthur
Tonia McArthur rejoins me for a great conversation, this time in the Sipster's studio instead of at a noisy coffee shop. We talk about her recent appearance in the new Sipster's Pocket Guide to 50 More Must-Try BC Wines Volume 3 while I blind h...
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Season 2
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Episode 54
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40:25
We're F&$@3D - The State of BC's Vineyards with Christopher Mark
Christopher Mark from Vintality Tech Inc. joins me on the podcast this week. We talk about all things vineyards in this one, which is a hot topic among more than just wine enthusiasts these days. Everyone seems to have heard that BC's interior ...
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Season 2
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Episode 53
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55:03
Singalong with Jess and Luke
This week on the podcast, Jessie Hopwood returns for a visit to catch up and talk about the state of BC’s wine industry after a crazy winter. We'll catch up with why there haven't been any podcasts lately, how to get into the wine industry, and...
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Season 2
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Episode 52
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46:46
The Sippie Awards 2024 Winners
It’s the first annual SIPPIE AWARDS and here are the WINNERS!Modelled after the BC LG awards, the Sippies are my way of telling you about all kinds of Canadian wines. I’ve written about some of them but there are often others tha...
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Season 2
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Episode 51
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31:01
It's the 2024 Sippie Awards Honourable Mentions
Here's a little bit of fun to start off the podcast in 2024. It's the first annual SIPPIE AWARDS!!Modelled after the BC LG awards, the Sippies are my way of telling you about all kinds of Canadian wines. I've written about some o...
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Season 2
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Episode 50
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34:22
Canadian Wine with Ann Sperling
This week’s podcast features Ann Sperling, a legendary wine maker from BC who has been in Ontario now for many years. She has a long family history in BC and is the great-granddaughter of Giovanni Casorso, who is (if we need one) the real fathe...
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Season 2
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Episode 49
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1:11:37
Crushing It Niagara Style with Graham Rennie and Matt Loney
You will hear 2 other voices on this week’s podcast and those will be of Graham Rennie and Matt Loney. Graham is the found of The Niagara Custom Crush Studio in Vineland, Ontario and Matt Loney is the General Manager. They are innovative and pu...
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Season 2
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Episode 48
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1:02:07