Relax with a glass of BC wine and explore these Canadian food and beverage industry insiders. “@” symbol denotes a twitter account

Allison Markin: Wine and Food Writer
Where: @Okanagantaste www.allshewrote.ca
Why: Creatively combines food, wine and social media. Advancing culinary tourism for the Okanagan. Gives good tweet!

Brian Glaum: President of the BC Wine Appreciation Society
Where: @BCWAS www.bcwas.com
Why: This guy works hard to hook you up with great wines and wine tastings.

Chef Michael Smith: FoodTV Host, cookbook author, official ambassador for PEI
Where: @chefMICHAELsmith www.chefmichaelsmith.com
Why: Seriously interesting food topics. Really makes you think!

Corinna Horton: Food Critic
Where: @thefoodgypsy www.foodgypsy.ca
Why: Full colour food critic - doesn't tell you, she shows you! Excellent sense of humour.

Craig Pinhey: Wine Access Judge, Wine Writer, CBC Radio New Brunswick Wine Guy
Where: @frogspadca www.frogspad.ca
Why: Well connected wine and beer guy, knows stuff! Great sense of humour.

Erik von Krosig: Wine Maker
Where: @EVKwine www.wineryconsulting.com
Why: Shows his commitment to learn absolutely everything about good food, friends, wine, life and random stuff. Always a good read.

Firefly: Fine Wines and Ales Vancouver Sheila Whittaker, Sommelier, Wine Writer
Where: @fireflyvan www.rubysuitcase.com
Why: She announces all the new goodies as they come in every week, and terrific social events where you can feel instantly at home.

Food and Wine Trails Jennifer Schell-Pigott, Editor
Where: www.rubysuitcase.com
Why: Keeps you current with the revolving door of winemakers and chefs.

J Henderson: Healthy food advocate, tells the stories behind local food and wine
Where: @foodoirs
Why: Calgarian tells stories behind local foods and wine. He points readers to cool and unusual articles that really make you think.

Karin McKercher: Wine Writer and Online Wine Marketing CEO
Where: @karinMcKercher www.indievinos.com
Why: Gives good tweet!

Kurtis Kolt and Jake Skakun: West Coast Sommeliers and wine bloggers
Where: @CherriesandClay www.cherrysandclay.com
Why: Seems these two have fun everywhere they go! They give great west coast wine lover tweets.

Mike Nierychlo: Wine Writer
Where: @MikeNierychlo www.mnonline.ca youtube.com/mikenierychloonline
Why: Wonderfully entertaining comments reveal his passion for people, wine and food.

Niilo Edwards: Sommelier Student
Where: @Politicsofwine www.politicsofwine.wordpress.com
Why: Algonquin College sommelier student. Unique viewpoint. A fountain of cutting edge information. Will be a good educator one day.

Shirley-Ann: Wine Blogger
Where: @FreeMyGrapes www.FreeMyGrapes.ca
Why: A grassroots campaign to make it legal to purchase and ship Canadian wine across provincial borders (winery to consumer). Show your support!

Taste and Sip is an online food, wine and Vancouver culture magazine
Where: @tasteandsip
Why: This writer gets cool interviews. A passionate foodie who will point you to all the good grazing spots.

Tony Aspler: Wine Writer and Founder of Ontario Wine Awards
Where: @tonyaspler www.tonyaspler.com
Why: Wine guy. Reliable, current wine recommendations. Not necessarily products available in BC, but good industry insider information anyway.

Tuomas Meriluoto MW: Winestate Group
Where: @TuomasMW www.tuomasmw.com
Why: Writes from the heart. Always points readers to new food and wine topics. Makes you think.

Vancouver foodie and blogger (gotta love that combination!)
Where: @she_loves_wine www.yummo.ca
Why: Even if you don't do recipes, you'll be printing these off and presenting them to mom with your best "pleeeze…it's my birthday" grin.

And Us! We are

What Wine Goes With Buffalo Wine Education Seminars
Where: @bcwine www.whatwinegoeswithbuffalo.com
Why: Because we call it as we see it, which can be very entertaining!

There must be 50 ways to remember this wine: Write it on the back of your hand with a pen. Soak off the label at your in-house lab. Song association (hum a few bars to the next wine shop clerk - they'll get it!). Rhythms with…Take a picture with your Iphone. Make someone else remember.

Here's a better idea, find out who the Winemaker was! That's really the most important name to know if you find a particularly enjoyable wine. Think of him or her as your personal Wine Chef, and with a little online sleuthing, you can trace all their tasty creations whether at one winery or many.

Some British Columbia Winemakers are part of owner/operator wineries and remain attached to that specific winery indefinitely. Conversely, many Winemakers move through a revolving door of wineries from harvest to harvest, seeking opportunities to learn more, to work with better equipment, vineyards and pay scale.

A BC wine lover soon discovers that wines can be inconsistent within a particular winery. Grapes are certainly different every year, so too is blending, fermentation, ageing and every other step along the way to creating a bottle of wine.

What doesn't change, is a very special winemaker, someone who has the ability to coax out the best of every vintage. This is a name you want to remember.

Allan Marks, Winemaking Consultant, currently available labels include Kalala, Chandra, Dostana

Chris Tolley, Moon Curser Co-owner and Winemaker,

Dave Carson, See Ya Later Winemaker

Dick Lancaster, Black Widow Proprietor and Winemaker

Dwight Sick, Stag's Hollow Winemaker

Elias Phiniotus, Winemaking Consultant, currently available labels include Desert Hills

Garron Elmes, Lake Breeze Winemaker

Gary Reynolds, Lake Breeze Proprietor and Winemaker

George Heiss Jr, Gray Monk Co-owner and Winemaker

George Phiniotus, Desert Hills Winemaker

Graham Pierce, Black Hills Winemaker

Grant Stanley, Quails' Gate Winemaker

Howard Soon, Sandhill Winemaker

Ian Sutherland, Poplar Grove GM and Winemaker

Jeff Del Nin, Church & State Winemaker

John Simes, Mission Hill Winemaker

Josh Scott, Chandra Winemaker

Karen Gillis, Red Rooster Winemaker

Karnail Sidhu, Kalala Proprietor and Winemaker

Manuel Zuppiger, Arrowleaf Winemaker

Mark Holford, Rocky Creek Proprietor and Winemaker

Michael Bartier, Winemaking Consultant, currently available labels include Road 13, Noble Ridge

Randy Picton, Nk'Mip Winemaker

Stephan Arnason, Poplar Grove Winemaker

Stephanie Leinamann, Peller Winemaker

Tom DiBello, Winemaking Consultant, currently available labels include Cedar Creek and Spierhead

Wade Stark, Ganton & Larson Winemaker

The Winemakers listed all produced wines which won gold medals or higher at the 2010 All Canadian Wine Championships