Don't Buy and Sell, Buy and Cellar!
03/22/23 • 35 min
Exploring the world of wine can be a fun and exciting journey. From discovering the different varieties, to learning about the production process, to finding the perfect bottle for your palate, the possibilities are endless. Whether you're a wine connoisseur or a novice explorer, the thrill of discovering new wines and tasting them is sure to be a memorable experience.
Let's take a listen at this episode as Curtis Stephenson shares how he and his partners started a wine business that brings in world class wines from all over the world providing an avenue for anyone on the lookout for finding, tasting, enjoying, and experiencing wines that will help you get the most out of your wine-tasting adventures.
What you will learn from this episode:
- Find out how wine agencies work and how do you stand out from competition from among the many around.
- Discover how they've managed to ride it out through the pandemic despite opening a wine business at the beginning of the first COVID lockdown.
- Learn how they source their wines and choose producers all over the world and pick the best and the great ones.
- Understand the role of wine agencies in the importation of wines and how the LCBO does its part in making sure of the quality of wines and adherence to standards.
- Find out the important considerations when importing wines from anywhere in the world.
- Hear of initiatives of representing small wineries around the globe and providing them avenues to introduce their wines to a big Canadian market, especially Ontario.
Find out what differentiates the Buyers+Cellars tasting bar from the rest of the wine bars in Ottawa.
After more than 20 years in the hospitality sector, Curtis Stephenson embodies the exceptional customer service and professionalism that drive fine dining and enhance guest experiences. He has used his knowledge and skills to develop the next generation of service professionals and in 2016 he helped open one of Canada’s top new restaurants. Curtis brings a passion to his role at Buyers+Cellars and is excited to take his Ottawa tasting room guests on an unforgettable journey through the world of wine.
Connect with Curtis Stephenson:
- Website: http://ottawa.buyersandcellars.ca/
Topics Covered:
03:53 - Getting to know Curtis and what paved the way for his introduction to the wine industry 11:34 - Opening a wine business just when first lockdowns started because of COVID and surviving the whole challenge 15:35 - Understanding the role of wine agencies and the process of importing wines where the LCBO is concerned 17:47 - Can we buy in bulk orders from the Ottawa tasting room? 20:03 - Where and how do they source their wines? 25:38 - Looking forward to travelling to these two beautiful countries which have excellent wines in the world 27:35 - What inspires Curtis everyday? 29:38 - The best thing about the Tasting Room 31:07 - How wine lets you connect to your very self
Quotes from Curtis Stephenson:
“We always had wine in our household and I was introduced to wine at a very young age.”
“It was very common to actually expose your children at a very young age to a little bit of wine, because that's just what you did in Europe.”
“I started out just as many, many people do in the restaurant industry by starting as a dishwasher.”
“Going through school I was very into art history and philosophy and that was my benchmark. And then realized, probably not going to get a real good career in that.”
“I really just loved the romantic nature of fine dining.”
“It was all about fine wines and I knew nothing like I was 20 years old and just cutting my teeth on just hospitality in general.”
“I was just at the beginning level. I knew that I loved it. I was exposed to it at a young age, but I didn't know enough.”
“And that changed my life from then on because after that point, it was everything wine.”
“Wine is so subjective, of course, as you know, and I love the technical aspects of wine.”
“I just really fell in love with finding things for someone else that they would love.”
“If you think you know everything, that's when you have to be really humble because you never know everything.”
“We wanted to do things differently. Go to areas in the world that are just underrepresented that make amazing wines, things we never see in the L C B O or SAQ if you are in Quebec.”
“We really had to navigate through those first three months and two years with a lot of like deft hands and getting outside the box.”
“There's very little known when it comes to the process of importing wine for a private wine agency.”
“We're always looking for that next great winery so that we can have a lot for our customers here, both in the tasting room and for our restau...
Exploring the world of wine can be a fun and exciting journey. From discovering the different varieties, to learning about the production process, to finding the perfect bottle for your palate, the possibilities are endless. Whether you're a wine connoisseur or a novice explorer, the thrill of discovering new wines and tasting them is sure to be a memorable experience.
Let's take a listen at this episode as Curtis Stephenson shares how he and his partners started a wine business that brings in world class wines from all over the world providing an avenue for anyone on the lookout for finding, tasting, enjoying, and experiencing wines that will help you get the most out of your wine-tasting adventures.
What you will learn from this episode:
- Find out how wine agencies work and how do you stand out from competition from among the many around.
- Discover how they've managed to ride it out through the pandemic despite opening a wine business at the beginning of the first COVID lockdown.
- Learn how they source their wines and choose producers all over the world and pick the best and the great ones.
- Understand the role of wine agencies in the importation of wines and how the LCBO does its part in making sure of the quality of wines and adherence to standards.
- Find out the important considerations when importing wines from anywhere in the world.
- Hear of initiatives of representing small wineries around the globe and providing them avenues to introduce their wines to a big Canadian market, especially Ontario.
Find out what differentiates the Buyers+Cellars tasting bar from the rest of the wine bars in Ottawa.
After more than 20 years in the hospitality sector, Curtis Stephenson embodies the exceptional customer service and professionalism that drive fine dining and enhance guest experiences. He has used his knowledge and skills to develop the next generation of service professionals and in 2016 he helped open one of Canada’s top new restaurants. Curtis brings a passion to his role at Buyers+Cellars and is excited to take his Ottawa tasting room guests on an unforgettable journey through the world of wine.
Connect with Curtis Stephenson:
- Website: http://ottawa.buyersandcellars.ca/
Topics Covered:
03:53 - Getting to know Curtis and what paved the way for his introduction to the wine industry 11:34 - Opening a wine business just when first lockdowns started because of COVID and surviving the whole challenge 15:35 - Understanding the role of wine agencies and the process of importing wines where the LCBO is concerned 17:47 - Can we buy in bulk orders from the Ottawa tasting room? 20:03 - Where and how do they source their wines? 25:38 - Looking forward to travelling to these two beautiful countries which have excellent wines in the world 27:35 - What inspires Curtis everyday? 29:38 - The best thing about the Tasting Room 31:07 - How wine lets you connect to your very self
Quotes from Curtis Stephenson:
“We always had wine in our household and I was introduced to wine at a very young age.”
“It was very common to actually expose your children at a very young age to a little bit of wine, because that's just what you did in Europe.”
“I started out just as many, many people do in the restaurant industry by starting as a dishwasher.”
“Going through school I was very into art history and philosophy and that was my benchmark. And then realized, probably not going to get a real good career in that.”
“I really just loved the romantic nature of fine dining.”
“It was all about fine wines and I knew nothing like I was 20 years old and just cutting my teeth on just hospitality in general.”
“I was just at the beginning level. I knew that I loved it. I was exposed to it at a young age, but I didn't know enough.”
“And that changed my life from then on because after that point, it was everything wine.”
“Wine is so subjective, of course, as you know, and I love the technical aspects of wine.”
“I just really fell in love with finding things for someone else that they would love.”
“If you think you know everything, that's when you have to be really humble because you never know everything.”
“We wanted to do things differently. Go to areas in the world that are just underrepresented that make amazing wines, things we never see in the L C B O or SAQ if you are in Quebec.”
“We really had to navigate through those first three months and two years with a lot of like deft hands and getting outside the box.”
“There's very little known when it comes to the process of importing wine for a private wine agency.”
“We're always looking for that next great winery so that we can have a lot for our customers here, both in the tasting room and for our restau...
Previous Episode
Ana Reis: Passionately Portuguese (Part 1)
You are sure to have a great conversation when you feel the passion of the person in front of you. That's Ana Reis for you, sharing the fun, excitement, and enjoyment that wine has brought to her life and what comes with it and the people she encounters every day in the career she has chosen and loves dearly.
Listen in now as Ana shares fascinating facts about the beautiful city she lives in, the country she loves so much, and the wine industry she is so passionate about and finding so much fun in. And it's not complete without her sharing about Porto wines and their amazing history and what makes it, and all other Portuguese wines the best in the world.
What you'll learn from this episode:
- Find out what fire opening a bottle of port wine is and how it's done properly to preserve the wine's taste and have the best experience of the wine.
- Hear about the different kinds of Port wines and the best food pairings you can have.
- Understand the temperature at which Port wines are best served.
Ana Reis has been in the hospitality business practically all her life, worked only in Porto, Portugal - but in quite a few hotels. Portugal has an amazing wine culture and history and she’s trying to learn it... sip by sip. She’s looking forward to telling her story!
She was born and raised in Porto, Portugal. She’s 30 years old and has been in the hospitality business almost since birth, believe it not! Her mother had a small catering and events company and from a very young age she started helping her and developing her love for this difficult but rewarding career. She studied hospitality management and worked in a lot of well-known hotels in Porto like Sheraton, Intercontinental and Yeatman. Ana started by waiting tables, switched to bartending and after some years, discovered her love for wine and took the WSET level 2 and now she’s on her way to get the WSET level 3. Portugal has some of the oldest and most amazing wine regions in the world, so it's not hard not to be fascinated by this subject... just like Ana is.
Connect with Ana Reis:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-reis-59188312b/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anastreis/
Topics Covered:
03:28 - Sharing fascinating facts about herself, the city she lives in, and the country she loves dearly
06:57 - Ana's fun and enjoyable moment of meeting Laurel
07:44 - The story behind the fire opening a bottle of port wine and what makes it a fortified wine
13:23 - Different kinds of Port wines and the food pairings that best go with it [what it takes to declare it a vintage]
17:53 - Fascinating things to hear about vintage wines and how it's done -- fire opening a bottle of port wine [and why do it that way]
20:42 - The Physics behind fire opening a bottle of port wine
21:45 - How to best serve Port wine [ the best temperature that goes with it plus the food pairings you can have]
Quotes from Ana Reis:
“Portugal is almost 1,000 years old.”
“Porto is the best destination in the world for the 5th year in a row according to the NY Times.” “So I started going behind a bar which was super illegal at the time because I was serving alcohol when I was12 years old.”
“I started waiting tables then went on to bartending and then I got stung by the wine bug.”
“We were doing a memorable ritual, which consists of fire opening a bottle of wine and doing some chocolate truffles.”
“Port is basically a fortified wine.”
“People would used to think I was so funny because I already thought I was a grown woman.”
“I started waiting tables then went on to bartending and then I got stung by the wine bug.”
“The fire opening a bottle of wine is quite a show, of course, but it does serve a very important purpose.”
“Last year I think it was authorized for Tawny to be, uh, 50 years old.”
“If you have two farms next to each other, there is a possibility that one of the Rubys from that farm is the vintage and the other one is not.”
“You just put some extremely hot, like hell hot tongues around the neck of the bottle for like 30 seconds to a minute.”
Next Episode
Ana Reis: Passionately Portuguese (Part 2)
With someone as passionate about wine as if they breathe it, it's no wonder you can sense their desire to learn more. Even though it might be difficult, one would go to great lengths to become more knowledgeable and skilled about wine and winemaking. Ana Reis personifies that. The great love she has for her craft, along with her energetic and fun nature, will ensure success for her.
Let's join Ana as she teaches and entertains us with her funny Portuguese wine names and fun stories about wine and the people involved. Let us marvel at her passion and dedication to her work.
What you will learn from this episode:
- Find out about Portuguese wines with funny names, and their local grape varieties.
- Learn about what it takes to take a WSET course, the levels involved, and what those mean as you go from one level to the next.
- Discover Portuguese food and wine pairings that will leave you satiated, satisfied and enjoy a great experience.
Ana Reis has been in the hospitality business practically all her life, worked only in Porto, Portugal - but in quite a few hotels. Portugal has an amazing wine culture and history and she’s trying to learn it... sip by sip. She’s looking forward to telling her story!
She was born and raised in Porto, Portugal. She’s 30 years old and has been in the hospitality business almost since birth, believe it not! Her mother had a small catering and events company and from a very young age she started helping her and developing her love for this difficult but rewarding career. She studied hospitality management and worked in a lot of well-known hotels in Porto like Sheraton, Intercontinental and Yeatman. Ana started by waiting tables, switched to bartending and after some years, discovered her love for wine and took the WSET level 2 and now she’s on her way to get the WSET level 3. Portugal has some of the oldest and most amazing wine regions in the world, so it's not hard not to be fascinated by this subject... just like Ana is.
Connect with Ana Reis:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-reis-59188312b/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anastreis/
Topics Covered:
02:31 - What does WSET stand for [and the levels associated with it]? 07:25 - Funny Portuguese wine names 11:09 - How expensive is it to name a grape variety? 12:09 - How 'random grapes' [Kaput] are made into wine 13:12 - What made her pursue WSET level 3 13:55 - Ana's important reminder 14:26 - How the hospitality business afforded her to travel the world without going out of her city 17:03 - A culture, life, and hard work that is inside a bottle of wine 18:33 - Loving food pairings [a to-die-for wine that goes best with rare steak] 21:29 - Talking about the 'green wine' that people often refer to 23:19 - The beauty of the Portuguese language
Quotes from Ana Reis:
"WSET stands for Wine and Spirit Education Trust."
"So it's just the first crush of the grapes, the red skin grapes. We get a little bit of color, and that's the rose."
"It's addicting because you learn about the history and there's so much of the world history around wine."
"You start thinking about it, you start studying and you just want to go, want to get more and more information."
"Since Portuguese, such an old wine country, the old people used to name grapes whatever it came to their mind."
"There's a red grape called, which means in English, "strangle a dog."
"Malvasia Corada is the name of a grape and she's embarrassed for some reason."
"I need to learn more about wine because you just realize how much there is to know."
"I've traveled the world without getting out of my city because I meet people from all over the place."
"Something like someone's whole life is inside that bottle, like a little piece of their whole life is there and a lot of hours."
"Portuguese cuisine is very rich, very flavorful."
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