Meet Wine Lover Leanne Quirk

Wine is her passion. If you ask Leanne, she’ll tell you she's over the moon to have found a second career - one she absolutely loves! The happiness shows. It never fails when I see Leanne in the wine crowd, she's wearing a big smile with her acknowledging warm eyes, swirling and sipping with focus and interest. She is loved by many for her ease, natural curiosity and passion for good wine. Thanks for being a part of our wine community Leanne. We appreciate the energy you bring.
If you want to catch up with Leanne you can find her at West Coast Liquor in Kerrisdale. She'd love to help you shop!

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What do you do?
I am the Wine Director at West Coast Liquor in Kerrisdale. In my role, I am responsible for wine buying, staff training and awesome customer service levels.
How did you get into wine?
Wine has always been in my life. Back 2009 when I was Director of Studies at an ESL school, one of the teachers, Lesley Saito, told me about her International Sommelier Guild studies. She inspired me to enroll and I started the WSET program. I completed levels 1, 2 and 3 just like that. I left that job and took a few months off after my Mother died. It was then that I decided to follow my new passion: wine. In 2013, I started as a wine sales associate at Firefly Fine Wines and later was promoted to wine buyer. When Firefly abruptly closed last year I was fortunate to find a new gig here at West Coast Liquor.
Why Good Wine Gal?
My wine journey involves endless amounts of study. I have completed the French, Italian and Spanish Wine Scholar designations. Like so many things, the more you study, the more you realize you still have so much to learn. Good Wine Gal is a platform where I can continue learning about wine and exchanging information. Mark Shipway is one of my favorite wine instructors so it’s a great evening of tasting and learning.