Ep. 227 Sharon McLean (Cru Consultancy) on wine education in Canada

Italian wine podcast. Chinching with Italian wine people. This podcast is brought to you by Native Grape Odyssey. Native Grape Odyssey is an educational project financed by the European Union to promote European wine in Canada, Japan, and Russia. Enjoy. It's from Europe. Hello. This is the Italian in one podcast with me, Monte. All of my guests today is Sharon McClain. Welcome Sharon. Thank you. Good to go. Where are you from originally? Originally, I'm from Kirkaudian Fife in Scotland. In Scotland, which is well known for its wines. And linoleum. And linoleum? Yes. Why was that? What were they made in your town then? Cookhon. Yeah. Nairns, linoleum, one of the biggest linoleum companies in the world. So linoleum is on goes under carpets. Is that right? Or Yeah. Yeah. That plastic rubbery stuff. Okay. So how did you end up in Canada? Well, I was Where did you live? Where about you live in Canada, exactly? Vancouver Island, Victoria. Okay. And I've been there for about twenty five years. How did you get that? I was traveling. I was traveling around the world, and I got to Vancouver. I ran out of money, so I had to get a job and never left. So what was the first job you got? Waiting tables or something more interesting than that. In Victoria or in, like, it was management consulting. Okay. That just happened just by itself. Not quite. Go on. How did you get into that then? Well, I was doing that in London as well. So it was, you know, I'd spend a number of years with Lloyds of London, the underwriters, the insurance company, and I had gone to Canada as part of a big project. And then I went back to London, and I wanted to travel. And, so I got into management consulting and left. So you're a bit of a free spirit then? Sometimes. Yeah. Yeah. And you're happy in Canada? I love it. Absolutely love it. Great. Okay. So your wine company is called. Crew Consultancy. Crew Consult So what does that mean and what do you do? Well, it's my partner and I, Trevering. We do consulting to local companies, to local restaurants, we do seller, curation, and we do a lot of education as well. Right. Okay. So this is, is this just on Vancouver Island? No. We do courses in in Victoria, but also in Vancouver. And we are now delivering them in Edmonton and Calgary too. So those are some of, Canada's major cities. Right? Yep. Who your, clients, or you're tasting, your wine students, if you like, are they professionals or Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Only professionals. No. No. No. I was everybody. I understand the general public. So you're desperate. Anybody that turns out. If the guy the money they're in. Thank you. No. I mean, we'd like to, we want to keep it approachable, and so we do like students coming from everywhere. Right? And they all bring something to the table, share their experience, and it I think it makes for a richer classroom. So what is a typical class line that's hard for you to say. But, I mean, if I turn up to one of your, lessons, should we say? What am I gonna learn and how more importantly? Well, I guess it depends what you sign up for because we do have the very structured courses, the w set. Okay. Widespread education trust. And the wine scholar guilds, a French wine scholar, Italian wine scholar, and soon to be Spanish wine scholar. Okay. So you're qualified, though you have to do, like, an exam to show that you're Yes. You're a base very good at exams. I'm not too bad. No. You're very I'm sure you are. You never failed one, have you? Oh, I have. It's called the MW. Oh, the master wire. Well, that's okay. That's a whole bit different way. Do you pass your driving test first time? Nope. At the time. Yeah. Not surprised. I have I've heard stories about you. Uh-huh. Okay. So in the Italian wine course, if I turn up, and I I literally know nothing about wine, and I want to really get the basics firmly in my head, how many courses is what I have to come to, and how would it be structured the course that I'd follow? Well, I don't think I'd recommend you jumping into the Italian wine scholar straight away because it's quite in-depth. And as I'm sure you know there are one or two DOCs and DOCGs to, to learn, and all those wonderful different gray varieties too. So it's very complex. I think if you were brand new, I'd recommend some of our consumer classes, and we do something called Vincab, so like vocab, but VIN. Right. And we take different grape varieties, and we take different regions. And we just have fun, right, explain some of the terms that people draw up. Sure. So so the Vincab sounds good there. So they your some of these, terms that consumers often get mixed up already, I guess intimidated, right? Isn't that? That's what you've done, isn't it? Yeah. So what are the what's a typical, Vincap, Vincap term that I would I would be justified about. When we say something is tannic or full bodied or malolactic or, you know, all of those terms that we throw around all all the time Okay. And are really, really confusing for the general public. Okay. So just demystifying. Our language. So I'm gonna throw a isolated, anthocyanenskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskineskinesk the basic course. Those tend to be because we teach them through, a local mind store called vessel. So in in British Columbia, we have the monopoly, but we also have a number of private stores So, crew consultancy is partnering with, vessel liquor store, and we have classroom upstairs. And it's typically the customers. So we get, you know, people that are eighteen, nineteen, twenty, and we get retirees to So it's the whole gamut. Okay. So you do a little tasting. Yep. So I guess when you talk about the, the venue is important because of the monopoly system. So I guess you have to have permits that even if people are spitting out, I guess there's well, how does that bureaucracy work? Oh, god. What the hell is for it, but it's it's interesting for me because it's just like, you know, what we think it we just hold a wine tasting, but you can't do that. Can you? No. There are special occasion licenses, that you have to get. Now we're lucky because it is, and it's special occasion lines has a little bit like a marriage, you know. I know. You know, it's like special occasion. It is. But we're lucky because these are educational courses. We don't have to go through that. So we're actually in discussions with the liquor board and the, the officers that come to make sure that we're licensed properly. So, but you do have to have a license, but you are obviously stressing to them that this isn't a drinking Correct. That they there are spidians and people must spit. Yes. Okay. Do you have anybody that does drink the wine suratitiously? I know. I know must be difficult. I noticed if if somebody's horizontal after the first three words, you know, there's You cut them off. Yeah. I mean, some people do. And is it is it obviously people are coming to learn about mine, but is there a social aspect that being they've got lonely hearts turning up to meet their ideal partner. Oh, we haven't seen that. Oh, you gotta say yes. Oh, sorry. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. You're so aspirational, you know. We're working up to it. Yeah. Okay. No. I mean, we do do social students. We do a lot of, food and wine pairing. Sure. Partnering with some local cheese companies and doing, you know, pairings, which are much more interactive and fun. Do you get hired as a sort of entertainment? And you've got your little venue and all the rest of it. So, you know, someone phones up. We're having a, I don't know, stag party, whatever it is, and we're gonna get you. Okay. I know you, I know you, I think, alright. I mean, what I think of? Yes. A tea, not a tea party, a cake of a I don't know. Sunday birthday. Oh, this party. And you get turned up and you and is it just you presenting or you got one of your colleagues with you? I usually get somebody else to do those. Why? Because it's really difficult. If people are there to have fun. Right. And they are drinking. So you're saying you're not fun? No. It won't. It's been quite fun so quite. Quite. But I've got to watch them get drunk, and they're really not interested in Okay. That's not a bad. That's not a good go five, isn't it? No. Like, I can do the first fifteen minutes, and then they're just getting silly and crazy. We'll send you the bill for touching the micron. What are your favorite Italian regions ones that you've visited all wines from, I said to you right on desert island that you can choose a region to go and live in, and you can choose any wine you want to have, any white, any red, and any fizzy wine. What would you choose? I would choose a different read. I'm sorry. Can I Can I go to one place and choose wines from other places? Then I would go to Sisserie Fine. Because I like the heat. Okay. For wines, I'd have Frankicorta. I would you're a cheap date, then aren't you? I know. Oh, it's very cheap, and I have a barola to follow that up. Oh, no. We need a mortgage on a date with you. And for a white wine, what would I have? I would actually, I would have Ligana. Really? Well, that's that's another quite. It's getting quite exclusive isn't it? Do you guys? Yeah. I love those wines. I think that's so underrated. I agree with you on that. So I was kind of thinking you said, oh, are you taking a blue leather or something like that? But no. No. Uh-uh. Which is too powerful? Yeah. I like a little bit more elegance. Okay. Are you looking at me like I got scruffy shirt. It's not ironed my shirt. It's I like the pink, though. Thanks. Yeah. But okay. My final question, how do you see in general the future of wine education? Do people do it because it's that way of connecting with other human beings physically, or are we all just gonna do everything in the future online by a video called them? I think wine is a very, very in person experience. Right? It's very tactile. It's something that's be enjoyed, and I think it really does help socialize, you know, people to socialize. Cool. Well, I'm very glad you and I are socialized together. I wanna say thanks to my guest today, Sharon McClain, wine educator based in Victoria, British I'm done. Canada, a long way from your native Scotland. You seem to be very happy in what you're doing and where you are. So well done, you. Thanks. And wish you every success in your business. Thank you very much. Thanks. Coming in. Thank you. Thank you. It's great. Super. This podcast has been brought to you by Native Grape Odyssey, discovering the true essence of high quality wine from Europe. Find out more on native grape odyssey dot e u. Enjoy. It's from Europe. Follow Italian White Podcast on Facebook and Instagram.