Our Team
Vic Harradine
Winecurrent publisher, Vic Harradine, has traveled the wine world, tasting and spitting his way through key wine-producing areas. He's written on wine for a number of Ottawa newspapers and national magazines, has authored or co-authored two books on wine; his wine reviews are quoted widely. Vic is a wine judge certified by Wine Judges of Canada. He's an accredited sommelier and former instructor, Coordinator and Director of the Algonquin Sommelier Certificate Program. His involvement with the National Capital Sommelier Guild includes former Director, President and currently, Governor.
Vic's goal is to write/publish discerning, impartial wine reviews that stir interest in readers to seek wines closely mirroring their personal style and taste preferences. Wine reviews are dominated by what many people consider—consciously and sub-consciously—when choosing and drinking wine: indication and intensity of flavour and aromas; balance of key components—acid, fruit, tannin, alcohol, body/weight, texture, food pairings. Retail price doesn’t alter a wine’s taste, but a rating system showcasing wine of exceptional value is provided. A 100-point rating system is used to assist readers.
Lisa Isabelle
Winecurrent reviewer, Lisa Isabelle, is a graduate of the Algonquin College Sommelier Program and has earned a WSET Level 3 Award in Wine and Spirits, passing both tasting and theory exams with distinction. Lisa has mentored Sommelier students assisting them in honing their wine-tasting and wine-evaluation skills, and is presently Instructor of the Wine, Food and Culture course at Algonquin. Lisa is also a Director of the National Capital Sommelier Guild. Her passions for wine, learning and travel have led her to tasting wine in Spain, in Africa, and along the Pacific Coast from Napa to the Okanagan Valley. She was invited by l’Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux to evaluate the 2016 vintage attending the en primeur tasting in Bordeaux. Feeling that just as every person has a story, so does every wine; Lisa enjoys uncovering and sharing those stories with readers.
Louise Boutin
Winecurrent reviewer Louise Boutin is a graduate of the Algonquin College Sommelier Program, a skilled wine taster and has been contributing to winecurrent for nearly two years now. Louise is a former registered dietitian, has a certificate from the International Concierge Institute, worked with the Château Laurier Entrée Gold Concierge team and spent a number of years in Lahr, Germany at the Canadian military hospital managing food services. This posting allowed her to spend her free time visiting local wineries igniting her passion to learn more about wine. She has also visited wineries in France, Italy, become a member of the National Capital Sommelier Guild, and recently started sharing her passion of wine by tutoring online courses for Le Collège La Cité’s Sommelier Certificate Program. Fluent in English and French with notions of German and Spanish, she’s now busy with lessons in Italian and planning her next level of wine study.
Dave Isaacs
Web master and wine reviewer Dave Isaacs has been developing web sites since 1993, and is responsible for multiple wine and food related web sites in the National Capital region. He is also a graduate of the Algonquin College Sommelier Program and placed top-of-the-class when receiving his WSET Level 3 Certification. He likes to bring wine his wine knowledge the people around him, holding educational wine tastings for his friends and his high-tech coworkers.