Wonders of Wine and Food

 Margaret Swaine 

Margaret is an internationally published wine, spirits, food, spa, golf and travel writer, who has authored well over 2,000 articles on these subjects for magazines and newspapers. She’s the travel columnist for the National Post newspaper (Forks & the Road), the spa columnist for Best Health magazine (Paradise Home & Away), the spirit & cocktail columnist for Zoomer magazine, the spirit columnist for WineAlign and the culinary travel columnist (Global Gourmet) for Travel Industry Today.

She wrote the monthly wine column for over 25 years in both Chatelaine and Toronto Life and has written regularly in other wine publications including Winetidings, Wine Access and WineAlign since 1979

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Margaret has co-authored/edited two books, “The Romance of Wine and Food” and “101 Big Ideas for Promoting a Business on a Small Budget”. She is also author of the first three annual Toronto Life Wine, Beer and Spirits Guides which review all wines, beers and spirits on general list in Ontario.

Margaret is a founder, director and first treasurer of The Travel Media Association of Canada and a member of the Society of American Travel Writers. As a member of the Society of Wine Educators, Margaret has taught wine courses at the YMCA, The Skills Exchange, The Learning Annex, Creative Entertaining, The Creative Touch Cooking School, Harvest Kitchen and Georgian College as well as for private corporate groups. She was founder and host for many years of The Toronto Life Wine & Dine Experiences that were held monthly at top restaurants in Toronto.

Margaret has participated as a wine judge at many competitions around the world. She has appeared on numerous radio and TV Shows as a wine expert, including Live It Up (CTV), Midday (CBC-TV), Morningside (CBC Radio), CFRB Talk Radio, Canadian Living TV (CTV) and Report on Business TV. In winter 1995 she acted as host for a video production by the LCBO “Shop the World – Spirits Promotion”. In January 1996, she was a speaker at the Symposium on Alcohol Privatization and has been a guest on Metro Morning and CBC Radio Noon, to present her views on deregulation.

Margaret founded and was first president of the Wine Writers Circle of Canada and is a member of the Wine Writers Circle in England. She has acted as an expert witness in wine disputes involving Champagne, Entre-Deux-Mers and other trade mark usages. Margaret is also a regular consultant to the hospitality industry and assisted with the creation of The Sommelier Guild of Canada. Margaret also has organized and run a number of wine fairs including the visit of Vignobles & Signatures, The Pacific Northwest Wine Fairs, and The Premiere Bordeaux Barrel Tasting. Margaret got her debut in the wine field, as a winner of blind tasting competitions. Back in 1978, when Margaret entered her first Toronto competition, she captured both the first prize and the “women’s prize”.

A graduate of Carleton University with an Honours Journalism degree, she speaks conversational French, German and Demotic Greek.