Michelle Bouffard and Deirdre Heekin

With Michelle Bouffard, Deidre Heekin
Wednesday Dec 6 2023 6:00 pm CET

Summary

The final in a three-part series hosted by Michelle Bouffard, completing the trifecta we have Deirdre Heekin of Vermont.

Further details on the content of this webinar will be available shortly. 

Speaker Bios

Guest - Deirdre Heekin

Deirdre is co-founder and winemaker of the dynamic, pioneering and truly exciting Vermont based winery, La garagista wines. Going far beyond just the making of wines, she calls herself winegrower, organizer, writer, photographer, flower farmer, and a would-be designer, and the project stretches around farming, cider production and wine production. Their work in both the field and in the cellar, is guided by regenerative, permaculture, and biodynamic thought, something Deirdre is not only passionate about but very educated in.

"Our mission is to care for our land in creative and natural ways, make way for the honest narrative told by the wines and ciders that express our unique landscape and each vintage year, and share in and support the spirited food and agriculture of our community."

Host - Michelle Bouffard

Originally from Quebec, Michelle moved to Vancouver to complete her Bachelor of Music degree in classical trumpet where she unexpectedly ventured into wine while working in a fine dining restaurant. Determined to make her mark in the wine industry, she graduated as a sommelier with the highest honours from the International Sommelier Guild in 2003 and completed the Diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) in 2005.
Michelle was the co-owner of house wine from 2003 to 2015, a highly regarded company based in Vancouver that specialized incellar management and educational events. She also founded and was also the president of British Columbia chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.
Michelle now lives and teaches WSET courses in Montreal and gives numerous training sessions including for wine associations such as Inter Rhône, Wines of Portugal, Wines of New Zealand and Wine Australia. She works closely with the nursery Lilian Bérillon located in the Rhone Valley acting as a wine educator and ambassador.
Michelle first book “Dis-moi qui tu es, je te dirai quoi boire” was published by Cardinal Editions in 2017, and has contributed to the recipe book “Le Secret des Vietnamiennes” by Kim Thùy. For the past five years, she has been the sommelier on the popular Quebec cooking show Curieux Bégin. She also writes for Quench, Véro and Meininger’s Wine Business International magazines and can be heard on the radio show of Pénélope on CBC radio.
In 2017, Michelle founded Tasting Climate Change, an international symposium to explore the challenges and solutions in the wine industry. In 2018, Urbania Magazine recognized her work by selecting her as one of 50 extraordinary Quebecers.
Michelle is often invited to sit on various panels and judges at numerous wine competitions in Canada and abroad. Ever the eternal perfectionist, she is continuing her studies at the prestigious Institute of Masters of Wine.


Wine of Tomorrow: Michelle Bouffard and Deirdre Heekin

Other WSG Replays with Michelle Bouffard and/or Deidre Heekin

Wine of Tomorrow: Michelle Bouffard and Mac Forbes
Michelle Bouffard and Mac Forbes
With Michelle Bouffard, Mac Forbes
Wine's Water Dilemma
Wine's Water Dilemma
With Michelle Bouffard
The Wines of Tomorrow: As Told by Those Paving the Way
The Wines of Tomorrow
With Andrea Mullineux, Michelle Bouffard
Uncorked with Michelle Bouffard
Uncorked with Michelle Bouffard
With Michelle Bouffard
Meeting of the Minds: Climate Change
Climate Change
With Andrew Jefford, Josep Maria Ribas Portella, Michelle Bouffard