In our latest blind tasting episode, host and Master Sommelier Christopher Tanghe speaks with two talented Canadian wine professionals, Barbara Philip and Élyse Lambert. They taste a red wine blind and discuss how they apply blind tasting in their work and why it’s okay to be wrong from time to time.Barbara Philip is a Master of Wine and is currently a category manager for BC Liquor Stores, a role in which she is responsible for buying all sparkling, fortified, and European selections. She was the first Canadian woman to earn the title of MW, in 2007, and is based in Vancouver.Élyse Lambert resides in Montreal and has been working in the restaurant industry for more than 25 years. She became Canada’s second woman Master Sommelier in 2015 and placed fifth in the Best Sommelier of the World competition in Argentina in 2016. She consults for The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, and other private and corporate clients.Enjoy the show and leave us a review if you found it helpful in your own pursuits of being a better taster and beverage professional!
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Barbara Philip MW was the first Western Canadian to achieve the Master of Wine designation in 2007 and has worked for BC Liquor since 2009. Barb is the Category Manager responsible for buying European and Canadian VQA wines. In addition to her role with BC Liquor, she works as a presenter, journalist, and judge with Barbariain Wine Consulting, a small company she runs with her husband, Iain.
Barb lectures across the United States, Europe, and Canada and has judged for the Argentina Wine Awards, Gambero Rosso, and the Decanter World Wine Awards in London. For ten years, she was the wine columnist on CBC Radio One’s “On The Coast.”
Barb has been recognized for her work in European wine by some of the world’s most prestigious wine organizations and is a member of the Confrérie des Gentilshommes de Fronsac, the Confraria do Vinho do Porto, the Commanderie des Grands Vins d’Amboise, and the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin in Burgundy.
Born in Montréal, Québec, Élyse Lambert graduated in hotel management from the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec in 1998 and as a sommelier from L’École Hôtelière des Laurentides in 1999.
She has worked at some of Québec’s most prestigious establishments and earned accolades in Canadian and international competitions, including "Best Sommelier of Québec" (2004) and "Best Sommelier of the Americas" (2009).
In May 2015, she became Canada’s first Quebecer and second Canadian woman to earn the Master Sommelier title. She also won "Best Sommelier of Canada" in 2015 and placed fifth in the "Best Sommelier of the World" competition in 2016.
Élyse has over 25 years of industry experience and is currently a Sommelier Consultant for the Ritz-Carlton Toronto. She also consults for private and corporate clients and frequently facilitates wine education seminars and speaks at corporate functions.
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