Linda Garson is the creator of Vine & Dine. She has always been a ‘foodie’ with a passion for wine, so it was a natural starting point for her overseas to work with products that translate easily into other markets.
She has worked with Chateaux in France, wineries in Romania, vineyards in Italy, Germany, Australia, and South Africa, Pisco producers in Chile, Vodka producers in Sweden, distilleries in the UK, cocktail manufacturers in Singapore, RTD manufacturers in Montreal and many more, acquiring an extensive knowledge of wine and the production of other alcoholic beverages.
Working in Calgary on a contract for Trade UK, Linda created Vine & Dine initially as a hobby. The first event was held in December 2005 at Mango Shiva Restaurant, Calgary, pairing six Indian dishes with wine.
The concept was an instant hit, selling out two nights a month with 50 people each time, and rapidly increasing to three, four and five nights a month. Since then Vine and Dine has featured Japanese, Italian, Lebanese, French, Chinese, International, Thai, Greek, Portuguese, Russian, Ethiopian, Spanish, Latin American, Fusion, Mexican, Korean, Vietnamese, East Indian, Canadian, and Irish Cuisines.
Linda still regularly runs 10 - 15 public and private dinners, pairing and tasting events for businesses, organizations, and individuals each month. In January 2008 she developed her Wine Basics Course as a one-off, and it has just about sold out ever since, as has her subsequent Wine II Intermediate Course whenever offered.
In September 2007, Linda became the CBC’s food and wine pairing expert with a regular food and wine segment on CBC Radio’s ‘Homestretch’. October 2008 saw the first televised food and wine pairing segments from Linda’s kitchen, cooking topical dishes and pairing them with wine for CBC TV province-wide. December 2008 was the first showing of Vine & Dine on TV.
May 2012 saw the launch of Alberta food and beverage magazine 'Culinaire', of which Linda is Editor-in-Chief/Publisher. She has earned a reputation as one of Calgary’s prime wine experts, educators, and influencers, speaking at functions all over the city as well as writing about wine and food.
You'll see Linda as a judge and host for all 24 episodes of Mixology Masters, airing now on Tubi, and on Global Television at weekends where she'll often drop by to talk about food, beverages, and restaurants in Calgary.
From January 1st 2019, Linda's two food and beverage businesses have joined together to become the Culinaire Vine & Dine Series.