Our Contributors

Stacey Fruin is an avid cyclist, a self-described Alternative 80's Chick, as well as a mom and a BC Wine Lover. She captained Team Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in the 2009 Ride to Conquer Cancer from Vancouver to Seattle, repeating the ride in 2011. Stacey also rode in the 2009 & 2010 Bicycle Trek for Life from Vancouver to Chilliwack, BC and back. When not thinking about what dishes she might conjure up in her kitchen, she spends time with Mike and her daughter Sophie. Stacey is also the co-author of the definitive guide to the practice and procedures of basic BC company law.

Karen has been involved in the BC wine scene since 2000. She got her start in a management role at Cedar Creek in Kelowna, and then ran her own marketing consulting business from her home base in Vancouver for the next five years, delivering projects for such clients as the BC Wine Institute, the Canadian Wine Awards / Wine Access, and New Zealand Winegrowers. While her day job has taken her in other directions since then (public policy analysis and government relations), she finds she can never truly walk away from the grape – or the great people in the industry. Striving to combine her real life and her wine passion, a few years ago she co-authored a chapter on policies that support sustainable wine tourism in the Pacific Northwest for an Australian academic publication. Having recently re-discovered her inner muse (or that found in an excellent Pinot Noir), she is delighted to be an occasional contributor to WineMonkey.ca on the business, regulatory and policy aspects of the BC and Canadian wine industry.

Mark Hicken (www.winelaw.ca) is a Vancouver lawyer providing a full range of legal services to the wine industry through his own law practice, Vintage Law Group. Mark has a B.A. (Honours) from UBC and a J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. He is a member of the Law Society of B.C., the Canadian Bar Association, the International Association of Wine Lawyers (Association Internationale des Juristes du Vin) and the American Society for Enology & Viticulture. He has also completed the Wine Executive Program at the University of California, Davis. Mark is also a member of the advisory board for the BC Hospitality Foundation and is an associate member of the Import Vintners & Spirits Association.

Mike is a Vancouver communications professional and a blogger with a passion for British Columbia's wine industry. He also publishes the popular City Caucus blog and can occasionally be read in the Vancouver Sun's opinion page. Mike served as Vice-Chair on the Vancouver City Planning Commission as well as the DOXA documentary festival board, and is an active community leader and avid gardener. He's married to fellow BC Wine Lover Stacey.

Karl is the creator of MyWinePal (www.mywinepal.com) and a former president of the South World Wine Society in Vancouver, BC, and a fixture at local wine trade events. He has also enrolled in the internationally recognized wine education courses offered by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), completing the Intermediate, and Advanced certificate courses. With the Advanced course, I received a “Pass with Distinction”, which is the highest level for this particular certificate. I have worked for Mark Anthony Group, which represents the Mission Hill Estate Wines, Prospect Winery and Sonora Ranch, to name a few. I am serious about wine and love to share my experience with you.

Erin Korpisto is a self-described 'Okanagan girl' who, after many years spent working in architecture and traveling abroad, decided to come back to the Valley to work in the wine industry. She has worked as an assistant winemaker, in tasting rooms, and has worked two crush seasons. Erin now work part time in wine sales and part time in architecture, balancing two of my passions. She is taking WSET Level 2 certification to further her wine knowledge and appreciation.