Podcast Alert: Dr Isabelle Lesschaeve & InnoVinum

 How Do You Taste Wine? 

Blind tastings are a great way to learn the skills necessary to evaluate wine. Learning to taste and using your sensory skills doesn't happen overnight. It takes practice, patience and perseverance. And so when I was asked to share my story about the "BC Wine Tasting Challenge" and how I'm encouraging a different way to taste and evaluate wine, I said YES. Little did I know that soon I would be sharing my uncensored thoughts on tasting wine differently. Ironic given that I'm a trained wine professional holding a Diploma from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust of London, England and proudly wearing a red lapel pin. But so much has changed in the course of a decade. 

We Taste Wine Differently and So Can You.

Mais Oui. It was a serendipitous meet up! Karen and I shared a wine judging panel in late June for Trends Magazine here in the Okanagan Valley. Karen's big smile and French accent were instantly delightful. She was also a guest at the BC Wine Tasting Challenge at the Lakehouse Cooking School in downtown Kelowna where she won the $100 gift card giveaway from the event sponsor - Hester Creek Winery.  Somewhere during all this excitement she introduced me electronically to her friend and mentor, Dr Isabelle Lesschaeve who recently started a "wine podcast" to share her research, learnings and passion for wine and tasting. If you are interested in listening to our conversation please follow the link by clicking on the image above. For more information on the host of We Taste Wine Differently, please keep reading. If you would like to listen to the conversation here is the link: We Taste Wine Differently

Who is Dr Isabelle Lesschaeve?

Isabelle proudly declares that she is a sensory scientist, a University professor, a coach, and a consultant to wineries. She has combined her passions into a business that she loves.  If you visit Isabelle's website, you will discover that she is passionate about wine and helping consumers taste wine differently. She offers tools and resources to support interesting and creative ways to experience wine. As the founder of InnoVinum Academy and Principal of InnoVinum LL and the owner and marketer of courses, this podcast and the Wine Aroma Wheel developed by Dr Ann Noble at UC Davis which is now available in 8 languages. If you are a wine educator, this is an invaluable tool to offer your students. 

Questions to Answer

If you know me, then you know that this is my language - how to create inclusion in the wine conversation. I am a big fan of the work that Isabelle is doing and the role she has taken on in the wine industry. She is here in response to the questions I think the average consumer is asking and more. 

Current Questions:

• How to make wine simpler to understand for people who love wine but may not have studied it?
• How to make wine accessible by reducing the jargon and listening to what wine lovers are  asking?
• How to connect with wine lovers who want to learn more but may have constraints of time?
• How to fill the wine experience with inclusion and not exclusion?​

Hi! I’m Isabelle Lesschaeve

My mission is to:
​

• make wine approachable to all and 
• empower wine professionals to adopt robust tasting processes and collect sensory data they can rely on to inform their business decisions, from the vineyard to the tasting room.

As a sensory and consumer science expert, I specialize in understanding consumers’ taste preferences and bridging them to your winery portfolio and marketing communication.

Where Is Wine Going?

Today there is a swell of fear around the disappearing wine consumer. Whether you own a winery, a wine bar, an agency or work in the industry, your ability to connect with wine lovers is as important as it is with your peers. So where to begin? Check out the downloadable resources, courses and tools that are available on Isabelle's website. Better yet, reach out on social, follow Isabelle and share her work with your network. I support "women in wine" like Isabelle and appreciate your efforts to do the same. Cheers to you for reading this post and leaving a comment below. Thank you for your continued support.