Manitoba Chamber of Commerce
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/1525613
Resident Expert A lex fell in love with wine while travelling Europe for a year after graduating university in 2015. After completing a full harvest in the Languedoc- Roussillon, she returned to Winnipeg where she completed her Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) levels 2 and 3, as well as the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) diploma program in May 2020 to become a certified sommelier. Travelling for wine and food remains a big passion of hers and has taken her all over the world. Most notably, she has completed two harvest stints at Averill Creek on Vancouver Island and travelled to New York City and various cities in Scandinavia while working with wine importers. Alex also finds great pleasure in teaching others about the world of wine and was certified in November 2022 as an educator with WSET to teach levels 1 and 2. Her most recent accomplishments include being awarded the CAPSTONE Canada scholarship on behalf of CAPS Canada and California Wines Canada. She was also awarded top marks in the qualifying exam to travel to Porto to represent Manitoba in the quarterfinals for the Master of Port Canada in 2022. Alex won the title of 2021 Best Sommelier of Manitoba and went on to compete in a national event in the Okanagan. In October 2023, she travelled to Quito, Ecuador, as one of 48 sommeliers from around the world to attend the ASI Bootcamp 2023 Americas. In November 2023, she represented Manitoba for a second time at the Canada's Best Sommelier competition, held in Halifax, N.S. Alex is currently employed at the Manitoba Club, a Platinum Club of the World (Top 100 City Club), where she works as a head server and sommelier, managing a wine cellar encompassing more than 500 wines. TAKEN AT THE BENJAMIN BRIDGE WINERY, NOVA SCOTIA PHOTO SUPPLIED MEET OUR RESIDENT EXPERT ALEX ALLARDYCE 4 SAVOUR MANITOBA | FALL 24