Sheila Whittaker was born and raised in Osoyoos, so she has a lot of home pride when it comes to BC wines. You'll see her close her eyes and a slow smile cross her face when she remembers her time on the balcony of Noble Ridge sipping "Mingle" and overlooking gorgeous Vaseaux Lake in the afternoon breeze. And it's not just the Okanagan -- she's can't get enough of the wineries nestled into the hills and tucked around the bends of the Similkameen River.
Sheila spent most of her 20s drinking her way around the globe. She lived and worked in Ireland, Scotland, Greece, Japan, and travelled to many places in between. She always managed to get to know the beverage selections and specialties of every area she visited and she fully understands that there's a different drink for every occasion, including breakfast (Moscato d'Asti, or maybe some PX Sherry drizzled over waffles).
Sheila is addicted to wine courses. She is a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers. She has completed the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 certification, a specialist qualification in the evaluation of wines and she's currently pursuing the WSET Diploma. She's also a French Wine Scholar, mostly just to sound snooty when she tells you that.
In addition to work at Firefly, Sheila is a professional writer and you can see what she's been up to on her website RubySuitcase.com. If you'd like to join her for an intoxicating adventure, be sure to sign up for one of her upcoming events at La Table Commune -- there are always a lot of laughs when she's hosting.