Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Paul Bosc Jr.

President of Château des Charmes, one of Niagara’s most distinguished wineries, Paul is a graduate of the University of Toronto. He is very active in wine industry affairs and in the economic and cultural development of the Niagara Peninsula. He served as Chair of the Canadian Vintners Association (CVA; the Canadian wine industry’s national trade association) in 2008, and is still active as Secretary-Treasurer. Paul is also a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Easter Seals Society of Ontario and the LCBO VQA Excellence Award.

Now a member of the Board of Directors for Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, Paul represented the wine industry on the Vineland Stakeholder Advisory Committee for three years. As an avid promoter of long-term economic growth in the Region and past member of the Dean’s advisory council at Brock University, Paul has played a large role in the creation of networking opportunities for local employers and Brock business students. His ultimate goal has been to encourage graduates to stay in the Niagara Region.

The Bosc family are fifth and sixth generation winegrowers who produce their wines in a magnificent château that is the jewel of the Niagara-on-the-Lake countryside. Founded in 1978, Château des Charmes is one of the most successful family owned wineries in Canada with 279 acres of vineyards dedicated to the production of fine wines, with an emphasis on unique single vineyard bottlings. Exceptional success in major national and international wine competitions demonstrates dedication to quality.

Linda Bramble
Linda believes that anyone who can taste and smell and has the interest can become a connoisseur of fine wine. Having graduated with a Ph.D. in philosophy and education from University at Buffalo, Linda taught at Brock University, then Concordia University in Montreal, and finally returned to Brock to teach wine appreciation and excellence in wine sales and service when Brock opened its wine institute, CCOVI.

She holds credentials from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and the International Sommelier Guild, and is a sommelier and teacher of sommeliers. She has also written five books on wine, food, and wine travel, started a regional magazine, and contributed regular articles to several national and international publications. She was awarded the Wine Educator of the Year Award from the Ontario Hostelery Institute, as well as the Wine Journalism Award selected by the Wine Writers of Canada and sponsored by Vines Magazine. Her contributions to the wine community have won her numerous awards, including a Lifetime Achievement award for her contributions to the Ontario wine industry.

Today, Linda dedicates most of her time to writing, and has published a book titled Wine Visionaries of Niagara that traces wine’s radical transformation. She still contributes to magazines, writes scripts for on-line training games, and conducts seminars and tastings. She is currently an academic coach in areas of strategic leadership and leadership and creativity, for Athabasca University’s eMBA program.

Social Media Roundtable Session Panelists

Michèle Bosc (@MBosc)
Michèle is an East Coaster who earned a B. Sc. from Dalhousie University. Her career started in the pharmaceutical industry in sales, sales training and marketing. As Director of Marketing for Château des Charmes she is the brand custodian and responsible for all aspects of the guest experience. This includes staff training and development, marketing, public relations and advertising, as well as overseeing the hospitality programs at the winery. She is the winery representative on various marketing and tourism committees in the region and is the current Co-chair of Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake. When she is not busy trying to keep up with son Alex, you will find her in the Twittesphere, writing a new blog post or sharing wine country news on Facebook.

Suresh Doss (@spotlightcity)
Suresh Doss is a writer, photographer and the publisher of SpotlightToronto.com, an online lifestyle publication focusing on food, wine, and culture. He can often be found in the kitchens and vineyards of Ontario, telling the stories of people in the food and wine industry. Founder of the Food Truck Eats festival, Suresh has been a pioneer for the Street food movement in Toronto. In 2011, He was awarded the VQA Promoter's Award for outstanding achievement in the Media category in the promotion of Ontario VQA Wines. Recently Suresh launched an online travel magazine, Rickshaw Magazine, which focuses on unique travel experiences. Suresh Doss is the Global Editor for Whitecap's StreetEats series of travel guides, which focuses on the best street food across North America.

Damien Wilson (@WineBusProf)
Damien Wilson began his research career with the University of Adelaide in 1999. After becoming the first-ever Wine Marketing Honours degree recipient, he began looking into the history of wine consumption behaviour with the pioneering, Wine Marketing Research Group with the University of South Australia while completing his Masters, then PhD in Wine Marketing. From a researcher discovering how wine consumption patterns evolve through a consumer's lifecycle; years of researching how big wine businesses can communicate more effectively sparked an interest in communicating directly with wine consumers. So, while wine sector continues to struggle with a global decline in wine consumption, an increasing number of social media users suggests that this emerging medium is important to research for the benefit of the wine sector. This emergence of social media represents an unprecedented opportunity for wine producers to interact with their consumers from all over the world. Along with his researching partner, Dr. Sarah Quinton, Damien is discovering a process for organic growth of followers, and is slowly revealing how those wine businesses making money through twitter have captured their audience. He is now tweeting regularly, and pays attention to more than just the content and origin of tweets from his 1200-odd followers.

Lunch Speakers

Ed Madronich
President of Flatrock Cellars, Ed credits a summer in France and exposure to a few choice bottles of wine for his passion. Since that first foray into the vines, he knew that he wanted to make great wines. Running Inniskillin for several years helped him to define his approach to wine: one that both reflects and challenges conventional wisdom. His easy hospitality and devilish sense of humor is juxtaposed with a more serious sensibility when making wine. Ed believes that the Twenty Valley has the potential to produce some of the best wines in the world. He also is firm in his conviction that Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling are the ideal grapes for Flat Rock’s vineyards. Using estate grown grapes and the most advanced wine making techniques, Ed and his team work tirelessly to produce wines that reflect the soils and climate from which they originate. His passion is infectious, and his determination to share the mysteries of the vine is a bonus for the rest of us.

Paul Speck
Choosing not to live the life of quiet contemplation, Paul and brothers Matt and Daniel, planted the early vineyards and began the business development of Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery. In 1989, Paul became President of Henry of Pelham Winery and set it on course to become a 75,000-case per year producer of fine Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) wines. Paul is a founding director of VQA, and continues to play an active role in promoting and developing the premium wine industry in Niagara and Ontario, as current Vice Chair of the VQA, former Chairman of the Wine Council of Ontario, and as a former director of the Canadian Vintners Association. Paul received his BA from St. John’s College, Annapolis, Maryland in Classical Philosophy (with a minor in Mathematics).