“From Far And Wide” is a new feature on Cherries And Clay that will catch up with Vancouver wine folks whose passions have taken them to far-flung corners of the world. We’ll bring you up to speed on their Vancouver history, and find out what they’ve been doing since they’ve left. Enjoy!

Linda Violago

Linda Violago is not someone who idles well, though the prominence of yoga in her life may make you think otherwise. I have known Linda since I got into the Vancouver wine scene in the late ’90s. I certainly didn’t know her very well at first, but I certainly knew of her.

At wine tastings, you couldn’t miss her. Back in the day, there wasn’t much in the way of wine education in the city, and most tastings were pretty exclusive, stuffy events. I could barely get a splash of a sample from any of the reps, as most of the older guys in suits, and much of the old guard of the wine industry kept elbows rigidly extended as to not let us young kids near the front. I was 23 at the time, but barely looked 19. Many people around the room, many of whom shared space in this outer tier with me, have become mentors, colleagues and friends over the years. Rhys Pender. Michael Dinn. James Nevison & Kenji Hodgson. Barb Philip. Neil Ingram. And, yes, Linda Violago.

Neil and Barb were bridging the old and new faces, but as Rhys, James, Kenji & I minded our p’s and q’s and patiently waited forever to edge our way in for a few drops of something, there was this Filipino girl in the room with spiky hair, tattoos and an unmistakable confident air who would march right past these old stodgy guys in suits, glass extended with her left hand, right hand extended to greet the winemaker or agent with a bright smile and an introduction.

Who is she, we wondered. She turned heads. She seemed pretty important. No one knew who she was, but everyone took note of her presence.

At the time she was no one, but you wouldn’t have guessed it. She reeked of determination and confidence.

I got to know her a little over the next little bit, grabbing a drink after tastings, that sort of thing. I was always fascinated by her drive and confidence, plus her incredible passion for wine which she wore proudly on her sleeve.

She seemed to pop in and out of town over the next couple years. The internet wasn’t what it is today, so it was easy to lose touch, but we all knew that Linda seemed to be on a mission to hit the upper ranks of the wine world.

On a trip to Australia in 1999, my wife and I caught up with her and hung out for a few days. After that, I saw her a couple times in Vancouver when there were local rumours swirling that she was heading to Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. Wow. Big gig. If anyone could do it though, it was Linda.

I hadn’t seen her in years, but through the magic of Facebook, we’ve become fairly tight again and enjoy keeping up with each other’s adventures.

In the 12 or so years that I’ve known her, both in and out of contact, she’s led many lives. I’d asked her to run through the last decade and a half for me, I was having trouble pinning down where and when she was working. Frankly, after her response - I don’t know how she has been able to keep track.

When I ran these opening paragraphs by her, she laughed and said I made it sound so strategic. She said she’s done nothing more than simply follow her passion and relied heavily on whims. These are pretty cool whims.

I’m passing this over to her to give you a run through of The Ballad Of Linda & Wine:

-Moved to Vancouver from Winnipeg, hating wine, in 1995

-Met Bruce and with a bottle of Pierre Sparr Gewurz ‘90, my eyes were opened to wine (and romance)

-Moved to Grand Cayman in fall of ‘97 and returned in spring of ‘98; that fall, apart from a uni course, volunteer work, and tai chi classes (while working at Provence in Pt. Grey), I took the WSET first level, with Barb Philip.

-In Jan. 1999 Bruce and I started the 1st course (for Vancouver) of the International Sommelier Guild (then called Canadian Sommelier Guild) along with folks like Michael Dinn, Dino Renaerts and Nessa Van Beregen. In June we took the exam and thought about moving. That year, I also received a partial scholarship from the Dames d’Escoffier.

-By fall of 1999 I was in Sydney looking for work and really realized, for the first time, that I could focus on wine. I tried out many restaurants and my first gig on a wine team was at belmondo (now closed) in The Rocks. I moved to an Asst. Sommelier position in Feb. 2000 at Bather’s Pavilion to the great Sally Harper, but the commute and the thought of doing that through the Olympics freaked me out, so I left in the fall and helped open Establishment - ambitious and wildly successful multi-venue site in the heart of the City.

-Heard of a gig up on the Gold Coast - about which I knew nothing. I met the owner’s assistant, interviewed, through out a figure and found out that I got the job. It turned out to be a dud gig - the restaurant opened and closed within six months, but it was my first lead role. And it was in a place where BYO meant people rocked up with coolers of beverages (beers, vodka, mix) and I was one of the first not to allow BYO. I introduced Austrian, Chilean, Argentinian, and Italian wine to the masses and it was well received.

-Returned to Vancouver to focus on studying for my Advanced Level for MS program and WSET. Worked briefly with Pino. I say I quit, but some might say that after I gave notice, they fired me. Whatever. Consulted around town and just read and tasted. Sat the MS Advanced exam in Tunbridge Wells in August of 2001. Out of 11, four of us passed, including me. I was the only woman. The next day, I went to London to sit the WSET Advanced exam (passed with honours), and grab a plane back to Canada.

-Returned to Oz in Sept., watched the towers fall and moved to Byron Bay after a brief, uninspiring (professionally - personally, it was a GREAT experience) month in Melbourne. Found some Canadians (father is Australian) serving up good food and that had an interest in wine, running a restaurant called Boomerang. I worked with them and my old reps from the Gold Coast and practiced yoga. Byron is the mystical place where everyone is a god or goddess. When I was introduced by one of the owners as “the sommelier” a guest had no clue and asked “what is that?” and I said, “think of me as the wine goddess….” and so came about my email address. taking the piss and all…

-Worked harvest at Mountford Estate in Waipara, NZ in March of 2002 with CP Lin. We met at the MW Summer School (anyone is allowed to attend the seminars and tastings for a reasonable fee, not just MW students) and I was struck by this stubborn (and blind) man that nailed every wine in a tasting. I asked him if I could work with him. At the time, Mountford’s production was around 800 bottles - Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. amazing experience learning how to live and use my senses - in work and on a daily basis.

-Moved back to the Gold Coast to help re-open a restaurant and bring things full circle - I felt I need to do something productive before I left, then went back to North America, in search for wine and learning in SF.

-This was in 2002, and little did I know that the world had imploded there. No jobs were to be had. I was offered captains jobs at a few good restaurants but I couldn’t get it out of my head that the US was where I should be, and that I needed to find a wine gig. Nothing was happening in NYC, but Ralph from Le Cirque was awesome enough to spend time with me on the phone one day to help me find options. He pointed me to Chicago and Charlie for which, for some reason, I felt that I wasn’t quite ready.

-After sending my resume and receiving a rapid response asking that I call him - and while looking at my bank account online, I spoke with Charlie Trotter saying that ….”hmmmmm, yes I believe I’ll be in the area in October. I’ll be attending VinExpo in NYC, I can swing in for a few days.” jetted back to Vancouver and picked up any shift that I could (thank you Andrew at Wild Rice and Al and JF at Provence) while couch-surfing (thank you Paul) and get some kind of money to get me over there.

-Was head-hunted and found by Guenter Seeger in Atlanta and we agreed to meet at the same time.

-Flew to Atlanta and spent the day with Guenter - we immediately clicked and it was unfortunate that the restaurant - and especially Atlanta - didn’t feel right. Flew to Chicago - with the flew, in October of 2002 - and the minute I walked in the door, I knew that it was the place that I NEEDED to be. I had an amazing two days that ended with them sitting me down to eat and feeding me heaps of food and wine. Charlie and I spoke and agreed to speak in a week.

-I had also had a meeting with Tru, which I blew off (sorry Scott). I went to NYC, ran into a Kiwi friend and we blew off a few tastings and ate burgers and experienced Americana at its best.

-A week later, I said no to Guenter and yes to Charlie and we started the visa process and Dec. 1, I landed in Chicago, realizing that I hadn’t done one stitch of research about the city: “what if I hate it?!” I loved it. And I knew I would be challenged at Trotter’s. Some Vancouverites, upon hearing the news, had various comments: Andrey and Vikram congratulated and John Clerides bet me a beer that I wouldn’t last a year (I’m still waiting, btw).

-I did last 13 mos as a beaten down sommelier. The first year with Charlie is always rough - no mercy. before and after service, I did heaps of work - in the cellars, changing lists, tasting food, stocking wine, but during service I learned every position and was NOT allowed to serve wine. The first time I was a sommelier in charge of a room was my last week.

-In Jan. 2004, I went to work for Chris and Andrey at Parkside, took yoga classes, signed up for pottery and French courses and took a yoga teacher training course - it was time to decompress. But by June, I was bored and talking to Charlie again. NY was in the near future, and they wanted me to open it.

-I worked at Maysara with Chris Williams. I was supposed to work with Jimi Brooks, but he had passed away two weeks before harvest. it was an amazing month in Oregon - living in Jimi’s house, working with his best friend and bringing in his biodynamically farmed Riesling under the light of a full moon - during a lunar eclipse.

-By Nov. 2004, I was back in Chicago and took on more responsibilities. By early spring, I was working on the NY wine list and travelling back and forth between NY and Chicago, meeting reps or working events and eventually became the lead sommelier (that spring). I was also studying (between 2 and 3 a.m. - no joke) and sat the MS Diplma exam in Feb. of 2005. Needless to say, I failed. By the fall of 2005, we received news that the NY deal was not going forward and I started to get restless. Yup, 2005 was a rough year.

-Spring 2006 - met the export director for Alvaro Palacios and liked him and the wines so much, I asked if I could work harvest that year; By this point, I had met in events, Ferran and Albert Adria, Heston Blumenthal, Pierre Hermé, Tetsuya Wakuda, Richard Geoffroy and a host of other chefs and winemakers. We did an event with Hugh Johnson, after which, I gave notice - to finish on July 31 - the date of Charlie’s 19th anniversary.

-Preparing for the anniversary, I assisted with correspondance for Pierre Hermé. I was also bogged down with making an easy transition for Conrad who would take over for me. The day everyone was coming in for the event, I was really in the weeds. And I was told that I had to go to the hotel and receive….the Spanish team, Andoni Luis Aduriz and his colleagues from Mugaritz. Thankfully, Dan Hunter, their chef de cuisine at the time, spoke perfect Spanish (an inspiration) and we spoke through him. By this stage, my flight was booked, my bags were packed and I was sleeping on the floor. Three months of travel through Spain and France including reservations at the Fat Duck and el Bulli and one month harvest with Álvaro Palacios…. not even a thought about San Sebastian. But on this day, something struck me about Andoni and his team. And the following days - watching them work and interact, there was something that made me say - “I will make a reservation - I will come see you.” The event was fantastic and a blur. At midnight, Dewey Dufresne (Wylie’s dad) asked for a beer, then looked at his watch… “Wait, you don’t work here. This bitch is done! Someone else can get me a beer!”

-Two days later I left for Paris and bummed around.

-Sept. 1/06 met with Rut, then the sommelier at Mugaritz, at the restaurant. She had previously worked at The Fat Duck, so we talked about them, work, wines, etc. Before I even sat down for lunch, I asked her if she needed an assistant… “but I don’t speak Spanish.” “don’t worry, you can learn.” I had an amazing lunch and met Andoni in the kitchen. We had the exact same conversation. That afternoon, I pulled out my Spanish phrasebook and tried in earnest to teach myself to roll my r’s…..

-Visits between Paris, Chicago and London (I had won two tickets to Europe in some draw with the reader, but they were good for trips for 30 days, so I had to go back and forth) and meals at elBulli and the Fat Duck…

-Last week in Sept. I met with a friend who was a wine rep in Chicago - fantastic company. When we first started talking about meeting in Spain it was - “hey, we’ll meet in Barcelona for tapas.” Then it moved to , “if I can get a reso at elBulli, want to come?” to “what wineries do you want to visit?” and so it happened. elBulli, Alvaro Palacios, Raventós i Blanc (I had worked there for four days in August of that year), Pingus, Arzuaga, Cillar de Silos and gin tonics in Madrid.

-For the month of October, I lived in the town of Gratallops, pop. 200 (+3 people who came in to work harvest at various wineries) and worked at the winery. I also gained weight - lots of workers and there was a priority on eating. It was a great experience with tremendously generous, kind people.

-Returned to Paris in early November and met with clients - regular guests from Charlie Trotter’s who contracted me to take them through Burgundy and Champagne for one week. A perfect time to taste wines from the previous vintage - a great time.

-Back to Chicago to help out for service with Charlie, then I started work with Juicy Wine Co. - a wine bar that sells cheese, wine and meat (nothing hot) - sound familiar? - while waiting for news from Mugaritz. I started with a Spanish tutor in Jan. of 2007.

-April 2007 - interviewed by webcam (first and only time it has been done) and one week later, offered the position.

-May 2007 started at Mugaritz as sommelier with Rut, training to take over her responsibilities when she left in August.

-Oct. 2007, Charlie flew me to Chicago to join in their 20th anniversary party (I worked) that included the Adrias, Keller, Tetsuya, Blumenthal, Boulud, Hermé, Achatz and more. amazing piece of American culinary history and an honour to be a part of it. Unfortunately, I was so jetlagged that I barely remember it.

-Spring 2008 - the only female to be invited to join the Cofradie of Cotes de Bordeaux - not quite sure about the honour, but what the heck…

-Fall 2008 I gave notice and was going to leave at the end of the year. For various reasons, we renegotiated and in Jan. of 2009, I became the Executive Sommelier of Grupo IXO - we are responsible for four restaurants, including Mugaritz. My priority remains with Mugaritz - wine list changes, and a min. of four services a week and must be available for VIPs, press, etc. I also consult on the lists for the other restaurants, offer mini-courses for all properties and work with our R+D team, developing alternative beverage ideas (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). And early this year I was awarded a local prize for the care and service of wine…

-Travelled to Japan early this year and spent time in Kuras learning about sake.

-I will be working harvest this year in Catalunya with a small winery called els Jelipins.

What else to say? It is difficult, the job. In spite of the fact that I am surrounded by wine-producing countries, it is surprisingly difficult to get some wines - at least in Basque country. I actually buy from some people in France, just over the border and I go to Paris for sake. And I can buy direct from some wineries. In the time here, I’ve visited wineries in Rioja, jerez, Ribera del Duero and Penedes, as well as Loire, Burgundy and Champagne. There are, to be sure, definite perks to living in Europe. Education and tasting wise, however, I feel stunted. I have tasted more German wines, for example, in Scandinavian countries this year, than I have in Spain. And I am fast embracing natural wines, though wary of allowing people to call me a natural wine lover…

Whew!  In the couple of weeks since she sent me this, Linda spent her 40th birthday working harvest in Catalunya.  Happy Birthday, Linda!  I can hardly wait to see what your next 40 years bring!

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