How sommelier Alanna McIntyre made her way in the wine industry

Certified Sommelier Alanna McIntyre

A combined love of languages, food, art, and travel led Alanna MacIntyre to a career in the wine industry.

Lover of languages, art, and tasty things

Alanna McIntyre is a self-proclaimed lover of languages, art, and tasty things. After university, she found herself in Italy learning to speak Italian.

“I took a wine appreciation course at a restaurant with a friend,” says McIntyre. “It was fun and felt fancy. We barely understood a word because it was all in Italian.”

After travelling and studying in France, Spain, and Italy (all areas known for growing grapes with a long history of winemaking) she returned to Nova Scotia where her father had decided to purchase a vineyard in the Annapolis Valley. “Having this family vineyard, it was just around me now,” she says. She took a sommelier course and found her way in the industry.

McIntyre started working at Bishop's Cellar in 2007 and is still there, using her extensive wine knowledge and product expertise to fulfill several roles within the company. A certified sommelier since 2002, with experience in wine education, wine travel, and wine judging, she is also a certified yoga teacher with the Himalayan Institute Teachers Association.

“I’ve always loved food and travel,” says McIntyre “That’s why I love wine. Wine allows you to travel without travelling. Yes, I like the flavours and the smells but also love the intellectual side. The geekiness of researching where grapes grow and how wine is made. It really is a rabbit hole. You learn a little bit and then you realize you want to learn more. It’s so broad and that’s why I haven’t tired of it.”

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