Meet the Maker Archives

Malcom Gosling

PMA Canada January 16, 2021 Meet the Maker

Founded in 1806, the Goslings brand achieved renown almost exclusively because of its distinctive dark Bermuda rum. That soon changed when Malcolm Gosling took the reins in 2003. As the seventh Gosling to steer the Bermudian family business, Malcolm brought an abiding respect for the brand heritage to the table, but he also brought a contemporary sense of marketing, business acumen and appetite for growth. Born and raised in Paget, Bermuda, Malcolm attended Boston College and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, then returned to join the family business. Almost immediately he realized the considerable export potential of the locally popular Goslings Black Seal Rum. In 1985 he became Director of Goslings Limited where he oversaw domestic product and sales …

Jean-Philippe Bergier

PMA Canada November 5, 2015 Meet the Maker

Jean-Philippe BERGIER, born in 1964, joined Marquis de Villard in 1989. He has been our cellar-master for 20 years. He himself a winegrower in the region of Cognac. My Heritage With Brandy, nothing is possible without a heritage! Our marvellous product was progressively made thanks to the “savoir-faire” of many generations. Each of them, for centuries, has completed their heritage with a whole life of patient and passionate work. My heritage is one of my father, wine grower and distiller, received from my grand-father, wine grower and distiller, who had himself received it from my great grandfather, wine grower and distiller…My family has been living in the midst of the vineyards for more than 4 centuries… My heritage is the …

Lesley Gracie

PMA Canada November 5, 2015 Meet the Maker

Upon meeting Lesley Gracie, Master Distiller at the Hendrick’s Distillery, it takes little time to understand how such an unusual gin could come into existence. It is not Lesley’s coccyx-length pony tail and dry sense of humour that brings you to this assumption, but her astounding knowledge and excellence in mastering the two copper stills that make Hendrick’s Gin. Lesley, alongside fellow Master Distiller at William Grant & Sons, John Ross, crafted the recipe for Hendrick’s Gin in 1999. It immediately stole the hearts of the most vanguard of gin drinkers with its infusion of cucumber and rose essences delivering a taste like no other gin. Working in a male dominated environment at the remote distillery in Girvan, a small …

Bodegas Norton

PMA Canada November 5, 2015 Meet the Maker

Sir Edmund Norton was an English railway engineer who founded Bodega Norton in 1895. Norton was the first winery located at the south of the Mendoza River Valley recognized today as the premium wine region of Argentina. Our Philosophy – An emblem that summarizes our vision… By means of its emblem, Norton does not only summarize its vision and philosophy but also it accounts for the Winery spirit. Because each of its elements is an irreplaceable part of its identity… The Vine A key element and wonder of nature, out of which everything else results. Andes Mountain Range The marvellous frame at the foot of which vineyards are located The River Nourishing vines roots with its crystal purity. The …

David Stewart

PMA Canada November 5, 2015 Meet the Maker

MASTER BLENDER & MALT MASTER, WILLIAM GRANT & SONS LTD. The longest-serving Master Blender and Malt Master in the industry – over 45 years at William Grant & Sons Award-winning Malt Master of Glenfiddich and The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whiskies Master Blender of Grant’s Scotch whisky Born in Ayr on the west coast of Scotland in 1945, David Stewart started work at William Grant & Sons as an apprentice in 1962, the year before Single Malt Scotch Whisky was first exported to England, when Glenfiddich became the first single malt to be enjoyed outside Scotland. Following a 12 year apprenticeship at the independent family distillers learning the skills of nosing and blending the best quality Scotch whisky, David was …

Martin Moore

PMA Canada November 5, 2015 Meet the Maker

Durbanville Hills winemaker Martin Moore’s early years were spent as cellarmaster at other wineries during which time he often worked with vineyard owners in Durbanville. He was always impressed with the quality and potential of the grapes of this area. At the end of 1998, after six years as Groot Constantia’s cellarmaster, he joined Durbanville Hills. When asked about the number of wines he would like to produce, he will answer that the hills decide if a particular wine will be released under the Durbanville Hills label. Only the best, the most unique wines will go into the bottle. Among the vineyards in the area there is a richness not easily equalled anywhere else. “What is lacking at the one …

Robert Giraud

PMA Canada November 5, 2015 Meet the Maker

Theoutstanding success of Robert Giraud reaches, far beyond the Cubzac region, where its roots lie. Built-up over decades, the company reflects the, full measure of its founder’s exceptional personality. At the time of his birth in 1925, Robert Giraud was the last of a long line of winegrowers from Saint-Andre-de Cubzac on his mother’s side, a line which can be traced back to the mid 18th century in the family archives. The Giraud family were forced to leave their native Vendee due to the poverty that followed the French Revolution and the Chouan uprising. They settled in the Saint Andre de Cubzac area less than a century later, part of a large-scale migration to the northern Gironde. Henri GIRAUD At …

Maria Martinez-Sierra

PMA Canada October 16, 2015 Meet the Maker

A winemaker at Bodegas Montecillo in Fuenmayor, Rioja, Spain since 1976, Maria Martinez-Sierra has made extraordinary contributions to the world of find Spanish wine. With an unmatched wit and effusive intellect, Martinez remains one of very few female winemakers in Spain. Martinez received her winemaking education in Spain as well as in Bordeaux at wineries owned by the Cordier family in the 1970’s. With great determination, she has overcome the obstacles not unusually to career women in a male-oriented society of the 70s and 80s, prevailing over even her own mother’s resolve against her professional pursuits. Lovingly supported by her father and her boyfriend, Pedro, now her husband of over two decades, Martinez began her successful navigation of what remains …