Interview with Michelle Paris of Adventure in Wine

Michelle Paris is a professional sommelier, entrepreneur, educator and innovator. I met Michelle at a wine tasting she was hosting at a fashion event during the summer. I enjoyed her energy, enthusiasm and the way she taught us about food and wine pairings. I was inspired by her start-up business, the risk she took to start something new, and her continued pursuit of further education.

Michelle left her investment banking career in 2011 to turn her lifelong passion into a successful start-up business in wine production, distribution and education. Her latest expansion involves organizing wine events and introducing her guests to the nuances of wine styles, wine selection and food pairings.

Visit her website Adventure in Wine here for more information!

AT - Give us your 5 minute elevator pitch on Adventure in Wine

MP - Adventure in Wine is an events and education company. We specialize in both corporate and private events and tastings. Events run the gambit from formal, sit-down tutored tastings to more casual cocktail party settings to fully catered dinners with wine pairings. I also hold the Professional Fromager Certificate so we also do wine and cheese tastings. We provide the wine and/or cheese as well as the expertise. Adventure is guaranteed.

We offer the world renowned Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certificate programs in various cities across Ontario. This is a fantastic four-level program in both wine and spirits from true beginner to advanced.  I’m thrilled to be able to offer it.

The longer-term goal is to grow a wine tourism business and I am currently visiting as many wine regions and meeting as many people as I can. I think that Greece might be Adventure in Wine's first wine adventure!

AT - You worked had a corporate career before this venture, how did this all start?

MP - I have always had a passion for wine. My father’s family is French and I spent many summers in France while I was growing up. My first wine memory is actually from when I was three years old. We were at a dinner party and the adults were drinking pink champagne. I was fascinated by both the colour and the bubbles (what little girl doesn’t love pink!).

Over the course of my Investment Banking career I had the luxury of tasting many fantastic wines and was also able to do a fair bit of travelling. I started informally studying wine in the late 90s.

The wine business was something I always wanted to get into but I didn’t know what I was going to do.  I toyed with the idea of buying land in Niagara in the late 80s but had no resources (hindsight is 20/20!). I explored becoming a finance person for the wine industry. Finally, on a fated trip to Argentina in 2007, I discovered a winery project that I ended up buying into. This was the impetus I needed. I resigned for my first harvest in spring 2011, went back to school to become a sommelier and completed the WSET diploma.

AT - Did you do this part-time before leaving your corporate life, or take time off to launch it?

MP - I owned the vineyard as of 2008 but continued working full time until I jumped head-first into my new life in April 2011. I have not looked back. However, I did make sure I had set aside money to live on while I was in school and building the business so there was some planning!

AT - Why wine and hosting and teaching? What was the appeal?

I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do after I finished studying. The more I studied the more I discovered how much I enjoyed being in front of people and getting them excited about wine. Wine events and eventually wine tourism are perfect vehicles for me.  It makes me incredibly happy to see someone have an “aha” moment!

AT - Top 5 favorite places you have visited!

MP - Just came back from a wine tour of Greece.  Spectacular!  Right now Greece is my #1.

Other favourite wine regions are:

- Burgundy, France

- Rhone Valley, France

- Tuscany, Italy

- Sonoma, California

What I wore - World Mastercard Fashion Week SS '16

World Mastercard Fashion Week gets better and better each year! This year featured a STAR WARS fashion show, fantastic booths and a fabulous Canadian Made sign for street style snaps! Running from the office as usual, I had to think day to night. I wore a simple black tank and long black overcoat and jacket for the top, and changed my dress pants to leather leggings. Flats for the walk to the venue and a quick change to my sky high stiletto booties. The scarf is a purchase from my travels in India. I thought the photographers would be interested in the dramatic scarf, but they were more interested in the booties! Another fabulous fashion week comes and goes! Thanks for having me as always!

World Mastercard Fashion Week SS '16 - Mackage

Mackage knocked it out of the park this year! (Yes, we Torontonians still have baseball on our minds.) This year's show did not disappoint the packed house of excited attendees. Dramatic bold colors, fabulous leathers and looks ready to wear right off of the runway. I wanted every look! The white and black trench was my favorite look of the evening. Treasure Seeker Colleen would love the bright orange leather jacket. Items we can all wear! I have featured my favorite women's looks of the night, but the show also featured men's wear looks. You can view the entire collection at World Mastercard Fashion Week. Thanks for having us. Loved the show!

Images by George Pimentel via World Mastercard Fashion Week

Designers Elisa Dahan and Eran Elfassy

Bravo indeed!

World Mastercard Fashion Week SS' 16 - Hilary MacMillan

Another World Mastercard Fashion Week in Toronto! Just caught a few shows this year and the first was Hilary MacMillan! Hilary has been presenting at World Mastercard Fashion Week for several seasons now and it was great to see her present this season. Here is one of the shows I saw her present in 2013.

Hilary's show featured a live band and she also provided look cards on all of the seats. Most designers no longer do this and it is often hard to tell what fabrics the looks are made of and what they are called. This was a great idea and much appreciated! Her looks featured slinky fabrics in dramatic patterns and bold colors. All of the pieces fit the models well and draped beautifully. Fabulous show Hilary!

Here are a few of my favorite looks from the show. For more information visit Hilary MacMillan.

Images by George Pimentel via World Mastercard Fashion Week

RAW Vancouver October 2015

RAW Vancouver always presents an opportunity for emerging artists, designers and performers to strut their stuff. Held at Celebrities Night Club, last Thursday night, this dramatic show was chalk full of visual treats, music and dance! There was a candle woman in white, who cast a ghostly aura over the main floor, where a fashionably dressed young crowd examined an impressive array of mixed media: photography, graphics, painting, costume and make up art. A comedian and cancer survivor, made light of life challenges, making us laugh when we wanted to cry. A 16 year old musician, took control of the stage and sang his heart out. Other bands followed and people danced and sang along.  It was an animated, lively crowd for sure. Loved the burlesque and tap dancers! All of the dancing was well choreographed and skillfully done. Now, where is my top hat and cane! Fashion Show was the grand finale. Thanks to RAW for the invitation! Excellent entertainment and lots of support for our artists!  Bravo!

LXR and Co Launches at Hudson's Bay Vancouver

Manager, Justin Voitic, hosted a fantastic launch for LXR and CO, at the Hudson's Bay, downtown, last Tuesday evening.  New here, LXR and CO has ten stores across North America that offer luxury brands, like Hermes, Gucci, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, and more, much more for women and men. Beautiful vintage scarves, ties, wallets, and bags are both art work and product. This is a jewel of a store, small yet spacious, with everything within easy reach. It drew an enthusiastic crowd, eager to purchase the quality and style that lasts forever. Luxury product and luxury service, too!  Immediate attention, extensive knowledge of history, sourcing, and inventory. Missed the opening? Never mind, you can find what you've always wanted, here at LXR and CO every day. There is an official video, INSIGNIA By LXR and CO.

Thanks for an evening of introductions to everything luxury: Top Brands, Best Service, Make-Up styling from DIOR, Organic Prosecco, Archimallows homemade marshmallows, delicious cheese trays and glamour galore!

We will be back!

Photos by Colleen and Dianna Drahanchuk

Cheese platters by Foodwares Market (SB - The Bay)

Colleague and Justin Voitic of Lxr and Co

Becky buys the first purse!

Becky gets her makeup done by Dior expert!

Colleen and Kuna, Luxury Photographer

The Showroom at Vancouver Fashion Week

The Showroom at VFW was like another art gallery with designers displaying specialty clothing and accessories used in their runway shows.  On Thursday night, October 1, I loved these, for sure...

Beautiful brochure of collection - pearls on the cover invited you to look inside and then at the most gorgeous black and white to wear collection. (probably to an exclusive party or resort or just to razzle dazzle up any event)He also makes intricate white masks which his models wore in the show.
This kind of intricately layered and folded perfection, yes, from Japan.  More about this fantastic designer, Viviano Sue, can be found at: http://vanfashionweek.com/viviano-sue/ .

Delayed in the showroom, secured the best seat in the house for photos! 

Fabulous sunnies from CANELLA HOSTAL COUTURE, Dubai.

GREEN EMBASSY at Studio 30 at Vancouver Fashion Week

I was invited, by Marilyn R. Wilson. author of "Life Outside The Box", a collection of introductions to fabulous local artists, designers, dancers that you must know more about, blogger (OLIO) and always best dressed (think local designers) invited me to meet Zuhal Kuvan-Mills of GREEN EMBASSY and her botanicals inspired collection S/S 16: Silent Rainforest.  This is Haute Couture!  This is also a gorgeous collection of soft purple, yellow, cream, pink hued dresses, and accessories to awe any room, anywhere!  This is using berries, carrots, radishes and naturals rather than synthetic and harmful dyes.  ECO Friendly, even the silks are vegan and organic.  There is sunshine, there is light rain, there are petals and leaves - all soft, multi layers of color and shape that you see as you walk in a forest. Originally from Australia but now here, lucky for us, Zuhal hand makes her line and the gorgeous mauve and yellow scarf I received as a thank you for attending her extraordinary show, is something I will treasure.  I have worn it twice now, and people come up and want to touch it and try it on.  I tell them that this is not only a celebration of nature but a way of preserving and taking care of it.  I refer them to http://greenembassy.com.

Thanks very much to Warren Dean Flandez and team at Studio Cloud 30, for a lovely welcome and musical accompaniment and entertainment, all afternoon.  I wish everyone who wants to develop their performing arts talents could see this beautiful studio and be inspired by the immense talent pool, here.  Contact them at: studiocloud30.com

Thank you, thank you, for an art gallery of fashion and music!

Green Embassy at Studio 30

Green Embassy at Vancouver Fashion Week

Vancouver Fashion Week photos by Dianna Drahanchuk

Dianna snapping photos front row!