Past Events
Immersion Trips
As the Educator and Industry Liaison for the Alberta Liquor Store Association (ALSA), Margaux has led immersion trips for ALSA members including retail store owners, buyers & purchasers, and store educators.
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Rioja, Spain - May 9-16, 2019
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Okanagan Valley, British Columbia - May 7-10, 2017
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Okanagan Valley, British Columbia - May 8-11, 2016
Upcoming immersion trips include:
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Lodi, California - Spring 2020
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Portugal - Spring 2021
Trade Events
Margaux was instrumental in planning and execution of #RiojaAlbertaMonth, a series of special events across Alberta, Canada, that introduced Wines of Rioja to industry and consumers alike. Wines of Rioja was even named the Featured Wine Region for the 2019 Winefest.
#RiojaAlbertaMonth
Alberta-wide, February 2018
The wines of Rioja are joining us across the province in February. Look for events in Edmonton Feb 14 - 19, 2018. Dining events below with the full schedule available at Wines of Rioja Canada.
Valentine's Day
50 Years of Rioja
Wines back to the 1970's at Clementine on Feb 17
Official Rioja Afterparty
Visit with the winemakers at The Station after Winefest on Feb 16
One Night In Rioja
With Bodegas Muriel at Partake on
Educational Courses
Margaux Burgess is the only education provider in Canada able to offer Wines of Rioja DOCa certification!
Rioja DOCa is Spain's most classic and historic wine region. It was the first wine region in Spain to be annointed a DOCa, the highest level of Spanish classification and reserved for only the best winegrowing regions. Even today there are only two.
The Rioja Wine Educator program was created by the Control Board for the Qualified Denomination of Rioja to train educators for the wines of Rioja on a global level, ensuring their knowledge and communication skills with the aim to properly share the Rioja message and culture. Thus far, Margaux is the first and only Canadian to have been accepted in the program. With her completion in early 2018, Margaux is now able to offer Basic and Advanced Rioja certification courses.
The official Wines of Rioja Basic Certification allows a small group of 15 to explore the region of Rioja and provide the attendees with an overall understanding of the region and its wines including the history, geography, sub-regional distinctions, aging requirements and organoleptic qualities of the wine.
The course includes a tasting of Rioja wines will also be included to highlight the sub-regions, varieties and especially the unique aging process.
The DOCa Rioja will support the Rioja educator courses providing official certificates signed by the president of the Rioja control Board upon successful completion of the course. The basic level certification course is three hours long and taught by authorized Rioja Educator, Margaux Burgess, DipWSET,
Rioja DOCa Ambassador Certification
Edmonton, Alberta - September 30, 2019
