Barbara Philip Talks Pinot Interview by Gary Hewitt, DipWSET, CWE, FWS, Sommelier Photo courtesy of Barbara Philip
Winnipeg native Barbara Philip has built a remarkable career in the world of wine. In 2007, she became the first person in Western Canada to obtain their Master of Wine (MW). She has since become the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) Category Manager (chief buyer and responsible for inventory management) for all European, sparkling, and fortified wines. In addition, she and her husband Iain Philip run Barbariain Wine Consulting, which specializes in presenting, teaching, and training in all aspects of the wine business. Gary Hewitt caught up with Barbara via Zoom to ask her about the current state of Pinots. Gary Hewitt (GH) In your role as Category Manager for European Selections, Sparkling, and Fortified Wines, you have a hand in shaping the wine experience in BC. What past and future trends do you see for the Pinot family of wine grapes?
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Barbara Philip (BP) Well, great question! I think, like the Pinots themselves, their trends are very hard to predict. Look at the highest-selling Pinot Noir in our market— and it’s probably the same in the Manitoba market—it is a Pinot Noir that doesn’t taste very much like Pinot Noir at all. So, you have consumers that are being introduced to Pinots that way. (Ed. note: Barbara is referring to higher-alcohol, full-bodied, New World Pinot Noirs that are uncharacteristic of the grape’s typical style.) But if you look at the fine Pinot Noirs of the world, the Burgundies of the world, demand has never been stronger. In my statistics, I see that it’s growing. Consultants, staff, and managers are calling me from the stores and saying, “You know what? Our shelves are empty.” For Pinot Noir, I think the future is very strong, and Pinot Gris does not really seem to be slowing down. People are
