When the brilliant French winemaker Pascal Madevon departed Osoyoos Larose in the Okanagan, it marked the end of an era—and a major coup for Don Triggs, who snatched him away up the hill, for his new winery Culmina. We are all eagerly awaiting his first vintages. In the meantime, Osoyoos Larose has hardly been standing still, having hired new winemaker Mathieu Mercier to oversee all those slumbering barrels of Pétales d’Osoyoos and Le Grand Vin, across the valley.

Mercier was born in Cognac and grew up in the vineyards at his father’s winery, acquiring his oenology degree at the famous wine school in Bordeaux. Earlier this year he moved to Canada and began plying his craft in the vineyards and cellars of Osoyoos Larose, working closely with the team there, implementing exacting viticultural techniques and learning the trellises.

He says: “My goal is to always produce better-quality grapes and make better-quality wines year after year.” And so we can comfortably expect the highest-quality red wines from the iconic winery that has defined some of the best wines yet made in B.C. As a friend of mine once said: “These are the only Canadian wines I can take to London, to my brother who’s a wine merchant in the city.”

And so congratulations to Osoyoos Larose’s new winemaker; we’re expecting even greater things to come.

Quail’s Gate gets a new one, too: Nikki Callaway has joined the team as winemaker. She is already well-known in the B.C. wine industry, and brings with her a wealth of experience gained working in vineyards around the world. She’s worked the harvest in South Africa’s Stellenbosch region and held cellar-master positions throughout France, including the Loire, Burgundy, and Bordeaux regions.

Born in Canada, Callaway spent nearly a decade in Dubai, well-known for its wines (not!), before returning to Canada for her formal education. After graduating from the University of Victoria, she began her winemaking career in Beaujolais (Château La Louvière) and Bordeaux (Château Palmer). Upon her return to Canada in 2009 she worked as a winemaker for Mission Hill Family Estate.

Quail’s Gate has received numerous awards and accolades for its wines, including outstanding results at this spring’s Pacific Rim Wine Competition, Decanter World Wine Awards, and International Wine & Spirit Competition. They have been widely reviewed in this column as well. The winery is excited about working with Callaway to produce outstanding wines that continue to enhance B.C.’s profile on the world stage.

Share the wine  Now you can make your own wine under the supervision of a pro, at Wineshare, downtown. It’s Vancouver’s first custom-winemaking project that gives wine lovers an opportunity to be involved in the planning, harvest, production, and branding of their own wine.

Partnering with Vancouver Urban Winery, a 7,700-square-foot facility in the city’s Railtown district, Wineshare is a hands-on, experience for the amateur winemaker, using premium-quality fruit and led by professional winemakers. It launched recently with a single project, and accommodates up to 12 vintners in its first production: a Pinot Noir under the direction of Howling Bluff owner and winemaker Luke Smith.

Plans are in place to triple the number of projects in 2014, working with different grape varieties from different regions and different winemakers. For more details visit wineshare.ca.

If you don’t pass the WSET... you can always try your hand as a tea sommelier. The Fairmont Em­press Hotel has one. Figures. Dale Fudge is a graduate of the Metropolitan Tea Company’s College of Tea, and he’s now the Victoria hotel’s official tea sommelier, as of this summer. While studying in Toronto, Fudge learned the tricks of the tea trade and became a certified expert in everything tea: from history, to preparing the perfect cup, to tea-and-food pairings.

But does he have a tastevin around his neck?

Naturally, he’d have to be at the Empress, renowned for its afternoon tea service, and pouring up to 500,000 cups of tea every year. The tea sommelier offers a “higher appreciation” for the perfect cuppa. And no, he doesn’t spit. I don’t think.

Bound to be even bigger lineups there this summer.