Michael Dinn

We had tried a number of times to connect with Heidi Noble and Michael Dinn of Joie, a charming farm cooking school, located on the picturesque ...

Winemakers Heidi Noble and Michael Dinn of Joie put that in their spec sheets, and it's the sort of weather report that puts a spring in my summer step.
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More from Dinn and Noble to put it in perspective: "Riesling at its best balances mouth-watering acidity, a touch of sweetness and moderate alcohol [a reasonable 11 percent in this case] in support of aromas and flavours of citrus and tropical fruit, flowers and spice."

We visit with Michael Dinn, co-owner/winemaker of Joie Wines in Naramata, British Columbia, our 2007 B.C. Winery to Watch.

H & I attended the first convivia in lovely Naramata this afternoon (memo to self: get thee to Naramata more often) with Heidi Noble & Michael Dinn of Joie Farm Cooking School as our hosts.

We visit with Michael Dinn, co-owner and winemaker of Joie Wines in Naramata, British Columbia.

Winemakers Heidi Noble and Michael Dinn of Joie put that in their spec sheets, and it's the sort of weather report that puts a spring in my summer step.

Heidi Noble and Micheal Dinn of Joie Cooking School in Naramata recently returned from a visit to Seattle and Portland.

Heidi established Joie Farm Cooking School with her husband Michael Dinn because she is passionate about the food and wines in the emerging region of British Columbia's beautiful Okanagan Valley.She first came to the Okanagan with her husband Michael as a wine tourist, then two years later, returned to purchase their 5-acre farm in Naramata, moving from Vancouver to the Okanagan in the spring of 2003.

After a childhood of traveling with her family and a job working at a catering company while still attending high-school, Heidi's formal chef's training began at the prestigious Stratford Chef's School after completing a BA in Philosophy and Critical Theory at the University of Western Ontario.Heidi attended Stratford in the mid-nineties just as the movement among chefs to utilize local food and work closely with local farmers was taking hold.It was here that she came to appreciate the vital link from field to table.This connection has run deep and influenced her decisions to complete apprenticeships with chef's in Toronto, working at the AGO's Agora Restaurant and Montreal's Toqué, who placed importance on the quality of their food-buying decisions, above all.

After working in kitchens since she was 14, Heidi made a decision to shift from the kitchen into the wine trade, by enrolling in the International Sommelier Guild's program early in 2000.
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Michael Dinn is a professionally trained sommelier and aspiring winemaker with three vintages currently under his belt.Michael spent 13 years (1988-2001) working in the Vancouver restaurant trade and experienced the birth and growth of the modern British Columbia wine industry up close.

Like many small-town British Columbians, Michael, originally from Campbell River, moved to Vancouver in the mid-eighties and attended Simon Fraser University from which he graduated with a BA in History.Michael's entry into the restaurant business was originally an escape from working in pulp mill's during the summer months but it eventually became a calling.During a tour of Europe in the early nineties, Michael worked in London, England and it was during this time, at the centre of the world's wine trade, that he gained his first understanding of the quality and diversity of the world's wines and he returned to Canada to study and improve his knowledge.

After formative stints at the iconic Raintree and the much-celebrated Diva at the Met, Michael graduated as the top student from the first western-Canadian class of the International Sommelier Guild.From there he moved on as sommelier for two of Vancouver's best restaurants Cin Cin and C.

After meeting and marrying Heidi, Michael left the restaurant business in 2001 with the goal of becoming a winemaker in the Okanagan Valley.On the way there, he made one more stop that had a crucial impact his knowledge of the wine business.Michael spent three years as a sales consultant for the premium importer Winspeer International Group and had the opportunity to work with many of the world's most celebrated wineries.
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Michael had been watching the steady increase of quality from the Okanagan Valley over the previous 14 years and no single location was as impressive (for its wines and physical beauty) as the Naramata Bench.

As our hosts Heidi Noble and Michael Dinn pointed out we have wine festival events that pair our award winning wines with processed peppery cheese and crackers.
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H & I attended the first convivia in lovely Naramata this afternoon (memo to self: get thee to Naramata more often) with Heidi Noble & Michael Dinn of Joie Farm Cooking School as our hosts.